A Forecast International blog about the arms trade, geopolitics, defense and security, and military spending.
The White House made headlines recently by declaring its FY26 defense budget request would break the trillion-dollar mark, but the president’s claims don’t quite hold up to scrutiny. While the …
A Trillion-Dollar Defense Budget That Isn’t Read More
The global defense landscape is evolving, and NATO is at a pivotal moment. With discussions intensifying around raising the defense spending benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP, this potential …
Beyond 2%: NATO’s Defense Budget Shift – Webcast Read More
The likely next chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, announced on Friday, March 14, that he had secured enough votes to enable a massive new expenditure plan aimed at infrastructure and …
Germany’s Landmark Spending Deal Gets Approved – Now Comes the Lift Read More
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a surprise announcement to the House of Commons on February 25, outlining plans to increase the British defense budget to 2.5 percent per year …
Keir Starmer’s U.K. Defense Spending Pledge Comes with Asterisks Read More
The FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), signed into law in December, sidestepped calls from some lawmakers for the policy bill to increase the Pentagon’s topline budget, but the legislation …
Key Takeaways from the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act Read More
The Czech government spent over 2.0 percent of GDP on defense in 2024, the country’s Ministry of Defense announced on January 6, bringing the country’s budget into line with the …
Czech Defense Budget Now Over 2 Percent of GDP, MoD Says Read More
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he will step down as prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, ending a tenure that lasted nearly a decade. Trudeau has faced …
Justin Trudeau Stepping Down as Prime Minister of Canada Read More
Japan’s Ministry of Defense has submitted a budget request of ¥8.54 trillion ($59.76 billion) for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). The requested total marks a 7.5 percent increase over the current …
No Going Back: Japan Continues to Hike Defense Spending Read More
Aircraft and combat vehicles were among the big winners of the final FY24 defense appropriations bill, while spending on missiles and space programs saw a decline compared to the administrator’s …
Aircraft and Combat Vehicles Drive Growth in Pentagon’s FY24 Spending Bill Read More
China will raise its defense budget topline by 7.2 percent for 2024 as per a government announcement on March 5 during the second annual session of the 14th National People’s …
China Set to Increase Military Budget by 7.2 Percent Read More