Sponsored by Bertin Exensor
www.exensor.com
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
03 Apr 25. Poland wants to spend 5% of GDP on defence in 2026, minister says. Poland wants to spend 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on defence in 2026, Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on Thursday after a European Union defence ministers meeting in Warsaw. Galvanised by Russia’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine three years ago, Poland now spends a higher proportion of GDP on defence than any other NATO member, including the United States. It plans for this year’s spending to hit 4.7% of GDP. During the summit, ministers discussed a “White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030,” aimed at providing a framework for the ReArm Europe Plan and to outline a new defence strategy. “All ministers… emphasized the importance of this document, the White Paper,” Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.
“We must be ready for the most difficult scenarios and we must be strong enough to prevent war from breaking out… This is an action to make us so strong that it would not be profitable for any country to attack the European Union or NATO.” (Source: Reuters)
02 Apr 25. Greece to spend 25bn euros as part of multi-year defence plan. Greece aims to spend 25bn euros ($26.99bn) as part of a multi-year defence plan, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told parliament on Wednesday. The move is part of Greece’s bid to modernise its armed forces as it emerges from the 2009-2018 debt crisis that led to years of austerity, and as it tries to keep pace with its historic rival Turkey.
Officials with knowledge of the plan told Reuters in March that it would stretch until 2036 and include the purchase of new submarines, new air, sea and underwater drones, and a communications satellite. Part of the money will be used to develop an anti-aircraft and anti-drone dome, called the “Achilles Shield.”
Mitsotakis told lawmakers that the plan meant Greece was investing in its sovereignty but cautioned that the country would need to ensure fiscal prudence despite EU plans to spend more on defence.
Greece, a member of the European Union and NATO, already spends about 3% of its gross domestic product on defence. That is nearly double the average in the EU, which is under pressure to bolster defences as its 75-year-old alliance with the United States comes under strain.
U.S. President Donald Trump was poised to impose sweeping new reciprocal tariffs on global trading partners on Wednesday. (Source: Reuters)
02 Apr 25. Western Balkans: Defence agreements will drive regional tensions. On 1 April, Serbia and Hungary signed a defence co-operation agreement that will operationalise a similar agreement signed in 2023. This development underscores the deepening strategic partnership between both countries across multiple sectors. They plan to conduct 79 joint military activities in 2025 (an increase from 48 in 2024), in addition to military-technical cooperation and procurement of weapons. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the agreement could lead to the formation of a military alliance between Serbia and Hungary, pending approval from national parliaments. We assess that the formation of such an alliance is unlikely; rather, this rhetoric is likely designed to strengthen Serbia’s position amid persistent regional tensions with neighbours. On 18 March, Albania, Croatia and Kosovo signed a joint declaration for defence co-operation, which was fiercely criticised by Serbian officials. We assess that both initiatives will slightly elevate the risk of regional tensions, though these are unlikely to hamper economic and other bilateral co-operation in the region. (Source: Sibylline)
02 Apr 25. Spain: Arrests point to Iran-backed Hizballah weapon-sourcing network, raised extremism risks. On 1 April, the authorities arrested three individuals in Barcelona (Catalonia region) as part of an international anti-terrorist operation targeting a Hizballah-linked group. The detainees are suspected of sourcing key components for drones and weapons technology used by the Iran-backed militant group Hizballah. This operation is part of a broader investigation into Hizballah’s logistical networks across Europe. In July 2024, the authorities arrested three individuals in Catalonia and one in Germany; those detainees were members of a Hizballah-linked network suspected of sourcing key components for nearly 1,000 loitering munition or suicide drones from suppliers across Spain and Europe. We assess that the arrests underscore connections between Hizballah and individuals across Europe, particularly in Spain and Germany. This also coincides with an upward trend in counter-terrorism operations targeting Islamist extremism across Spain, though there is no indication that the Hizballah network posed an attack threat in Europe. (Source: Sibylline)
02 Apr 25. RAF to protect European skies on NATO’S eastern flank. UK jets will protect the skies of NATO’s eastern flank once again, working for the first time with Sweden to protect Polish airspace.
Defence Minister Lord Coaker at a ceremony in Poland to kick off the enhanced air policing mission. UK jets will protect the skies of NATO’s eastern flank once again, working for the first time with Sweden to protect Polish airspace. British built Typhoon jets arrived in Eastern Poland today, to take part in a NATO enhanced air policing mission. RAF pilots will join up with Swedish Airforce Gripen fighter jets, as Europe steps up together to defend NATO airspace. The deployment is the first time that Swedish fighter jets will take part in air policing on the territory of another NATO Ally since they joined the alliance in 2024. Touching down in Poland on Tuesday (1 April), Defence Minister Lord Coaker met with Polish Deputy Prime Minister W?adys?aw Marcin Kosiniak-Kamysz and Swedish Defence Minister Pal Jonson, to outline the UK’s commitment to European security and to mark the start of the operation.
Defence Minister Lord Coaker said: “The UK is unshakeable in its commitment to NATO. With threats increasing and growing Russian aggression, it is vital that we stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies. This latest air policing mission in Poland displays the UK’s ability to operate effectively with NATO’s newest member in Sweden and deter our common adversaries across the alliance’s airspace, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad.”
The mission comes as European NATO allies are stepping up on European security and defence spending. NATO remains the cornerstone of UK Defence and this government will continue to pursue a “NATO first” defence policy and take on a leadership role in the alliance. Keeping the country safe is the Government’s first priority, and an integral part of its Plan for Change. The work of defence is critical to the security and stability of the UK, keeping us secure at home and strong abroad, whilst supporting all of the Government’s five missions as a foundation of its plan.
Poland is also a key UK defence and security partner, NATO Ally and partner in the European Group of Five (E5). Our nations have both been large supporters of Ukraine and have the led the way in increasing defence spending in Europe. In last week’s Spring Statement, the Chancellor announced an additional £2.2bn for defence in 2025/26. This comes on top of the announcement of the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War, as the government will hit 2.5% of GDP spend by April 2027, and has a commitment to hit 3% in the next Parliament. This mission follows on from 2024’s successful air policing missions across the continent. In April 2024, six Typhoon fighter jets with over two hundred personnel were stationed in Romania defending NATO’s eastern border. Followed on by an August 2024 deployment of four cutting edge F-35B jets to Iceland, defending NATO airspace in the high north. This time, six British built typhoons from II (AC) Squadron will be patrolling Polish airspace, having travelled from RAF Lossiemouth.
RAF Typhoons and Voyagers also conduct NATO air policing in the UK through the Quick Reaction Alert Force, based at RAF Coningsby, Lossiemouth and Brize Norton, protecting UK airspace 24/7, 365 days a year. (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
28 Mar 25. EU should manage to spend 500bn euros on defence in next 5 years, says Fitch. European Union countries should be able to spend only about 500bn euros ($540bn) on defence in coming years, Fitch Ratings said on Friday, less than the bloc’s plans to create the scope for up to 800bn euros in spending. The bloc is considering a dramatic rise in defence spending because member states worry that the U.S., which has guaranteed Europe’s security since the end of World War Two, is no longer keen to do so. But its proposals leave the lion’s share of the funding to national governments, easing EU rules on public finances to mobilise 650bn euros of spending, topped up by 150bn euros of defence loans that the EU will provide member states. That is a big challenge at a time when some of its biggest member states face high debt and deficit levels. “500bn is what we estimate is doable or possible in the next four to five years,” Federico Barriga-Salazar, senior director, sovereigns at Fitch, told a webinar. (Source: Reuters)
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
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.
A CNIM Group Company
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————