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28 Aug 24. Italy struggles to meet Nato 2% target says report. Frequent political turnover, coalition disputes, and legislative gridlock have made it difficult for Italy to establish and adhere to a cohesive, long-term defence strategy. GlobalData’s “Italy Defense Market 2024-2029” report reveals that while Italy’s defence budget will grow by 2029, due to economic constraints and political divisions, it is unlikely to reach the Nato target of 2% of GDP.
Despite efforts to boost defence budgets in the coming years, the report indicates that Italy’s spending will likely remain in the mid-1% range of its GDP.
GlobalData projects Italy’s defence budget to grow from $25.8bn (€23.2bn) in 2020 to $30.5bn in 2029. While this represents a notable increase, it falls short of Nato’s expectations for member countries to allocate 2% of their GDP to defence. Wilson Jones, a Defense Analyst at GlobalData, emphasises that Italy’s goal of achieving this target is hampered by economic pressures and political instability that create uncertainty in long-term defence planning.
“Italy’s acquisition budget has the most substantial growth of any sector of Italy’s defence spending,” notes Jones. This growth is primarily driven by Italy’s investment in new military platforms such as shipbuilding programmes, combat jet acquisitions, and modernising mechanised brigades with armoured vehicles.
Italy has made advancements in its military capabilities in the past month with several major acquisitions. The Italian Navy secured a €1.6bn deal for five minehunters from Intermarine and Leonardo. A €1.5bn contract was also extended for two evolved FREMM frigates. The Navy also initiated the construction of a fourth Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) under a previous €925m agreement. Furthermore, Italy is set to receive six MQ-9 Block 5 drones in a $738m arms deal with the United States. (Source: naval-technology.com)
29 Aug 24. Sweden: Defence sector, supply chains will likely continue to face risk of sporadic sabotage. A spokesperson for the Swedish Security Service (Säpo) disclosed to the public broadcaster SVT that the risk of Russian sabotage attacks in the country has increased. Following a spate of suspected Russian sabotage attacks in Europe, the spokesperson stated that Säpo was recently informed that this risk has increased in Sweden, too. Säpo assesses that the risk is driven by the country’s support for Ukraine, and that weapons factories and military facilities are the sites most at risk. Notably, the industry association Security and Defense Companies (SOFF) told SVT that firms in the sector have reported attempted site intrusions and reconnaissance drones monitoring transport operations. We have repeatedly assessed that the European defence sector faces a heightened risk of Russian sabotage. As Sweden ranks among the top ten arms suppliers to Ukraine, the country’s defence sector and associated supply chains will likely continue to face a moderate risk of sporadic sabotage attempts. (Source: Sibylline)
28 Aug 24. Keir Starmer launches UK-German treaty bid in meeting with Olaf Scholz London wants to agree deal on market access in six months, with defence talks already under way The UK prime minister’s trip to Berlin and Paris is part of his drive to improve ties with EU allies. Sir Keir Starmer kicked off efforts to agree a new treaty with Germany as he held talks in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz as part of his bid to reset Britain’s ties with the EU. At a joint press conference, Scholz said that the two countries wanted “to base our relations on an entirely new footing” with “a treaty that reflects the entire spectrum of our relations”. Starmer said: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe . . . We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government.” The prime minister hopes Wednesday morning’s meeting will help reboot the UK’s relationship with the EU after 14 years of strained and sometimes tempestuous relations under the Conservatives. London wants to agree a treaty on deeper economic ties, energy security and the environment with Berlin in six months. Last month the two countries issued a declaration on defence, setting out priorities including joint procurement and interoperability and co-ordination on supporting Ukraine and emerging threats. While Brussels and London have also been in on-off talks over closer defence and security ties since the UK’s 2016 vote to leave the EU, some in the UK would prefer to focus instead on bilateral ties with major EU military powers such as Germany. The Labour government says it wants to improve the UK’s access to trade with Europe, following what it characterises as Boris Johnson’s “botched” Brexit deal. But Starmer has ruled out re-entering the EU’s customs union or single market and Brussels has signalled it has little appetite to reopen full-blown trade negotiations. At the Berlin press conference, Starmer said the UK wanted to boost “exchanges” with the EU, but repeated his insistence that Britain did “not have plans” for a new youth mobility scheme with the bloc. The UK prime minister is scheduled to continue to Paris on Wednesday night where he will attend the Paralympics opening ceremony, before visiting the Élysée Palace on Thursday. Although Starmer has been in office barely two months, the trip marks his fifth meeting with Scholz and his fourth with French President Emmanuel Macron since he became prime minister, a sign of his drive to bolster relations with key European allies. (Source: FT.com)
27 Aug 24. UK’s Starmer eyes defence deal in Germany to help reset ties with Europe.
- Summary
- Proposed Anglo-German accord on defence, trade cooperation
- Starmer to meet Scholz, German business leaders in Berlin
- Heads later to France to meet Macron, Paralympics athletes
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will discuss a landmark economic and defence accord with German leaders on Wednesday, hoping to use a visit to pursue a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to reset relations with the rest of Europe.
At the beginning of a two-day visit to Germany and France, Starmer said he wants Britain to move beyond the previous Conservative government’s fractious relations with European allies and put improved ties at the heart of his efforts to boost Britain’s economic growth.
On his visit to Berlin at the start of the trip, Starmer will hold talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on a new pact they hope will bring about an unprecedented degree of bilateral military cooperation as well as increased collaboration in areas such as trade and energy.
“We must turn a corner on Brexit and fix the broken relationships left behind by the previous government,” Starmer said in a statement. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reset our relationship with Europe.”
Britain and Germany, NATO allies and western Europe’s biggest defence spenders, are looking for ways to increase defence cooperation ahead of the possibility that the United States scales back military support for Ukraine if Donald Trump returns to the White House early next year.
The Republican presidential candidate has warned that if elected he would fundamentally rethink “NATO’s purpose and NATO’s mission”. He has also not committed to sending further aid to Ukraine and said he would not defend allies that do not increase their defence budgets. Trump is locked in a tight race with Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 election.
Concerns that the U.S. could cut back support for Ukraine have increased since Trump picked JD Vance as his running mate. Vance has stressed his opposition to the U.S. writing what he has called “blank checks” to help Ukraine fight off Russia’s two-and-a-half-year-old invasion.
An Anglo-German defence partnership could resemble the Lancaster House pact between Britain and France agreed in 2010, according to officials, with pledges to create a joint force and share equipment and nuclear missile research centres.
The two sides will continue negotiations over the next six months with the aim of completing the deal early next year, according to Starmer’s office. It would follow the signing of a joint defence declaration in July.
On his trip to Germany, Starmer will also hold talks with business leaders including Armin Papperger, chief executive of German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, who according to media reports last month was the target of a Russian assassination plot. The Kremlin said the reports were fake and could not be taken seriously.
In addition, Starmer will meet Christian Bruch, Siemens Energy’s CEO, which employs about 6,000 people in Britain, to discuss further investment and creating more highly skilled jobs.
After the talks in Germany, Starmer will head to Paris for the Paralympics opening ceremony on Wednesday night, and hold a breakfast meeting on Thursday with executives from companies including Thales, Eutelsat, Mistral AI and Sanofi.
Starmer is then expected to meet Paralympic athletes as they prepare for competition, before having talks with President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysée Palace. (Source: Reuters)
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Founded in 1987, Exensor Technology is a world leading supplier of Networked Unattended Ground Sensor (UGS) Systems providing tailored sensor solutions to customers all over the world. From our Headquarters in Lund Sweden, our centre of expertise in Network Communications at Communications Research Lab in Kalmar Sweden and our Production site outside of Basingstoke UK, we design, develop and produce latest state of the art rugged UGS solutions at the highest quality to meet the most stringent demands of our customers. Our systems are in operation and used in a wide number of Military as well as Homeland Security applications worldwide. The modular nature of the system ensures any external sensor can be integrated, providing the user with a fully meshed “silent” network capable of self-healing. Exensor Technology will continue to lead the field in UGS technology, provide our customers with excellent customer service and a bespoke package able to meet every need.
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