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24 Apr 25. Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): Attempted arrest of RS president marks escalation in tensions. On 24 April, a spokesperson for the State Investigation and Protection Agency (SIPA) stated that SIPA officers attempted to arrest Milorad Dodik, the president of the ethnic-Serb entity Republika Srpska (RS). According to the spokesperson, the officers were prevented from carrying out the arrest in East Sarajevo (located in RS) by armed RS police. The officers were attempting to enforce an arrest warrant against Dodik for ignoring a court summons relating to legal proceedings triggered by his pro-separatist policies that allegedly undermine the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). While details of the alleged attempted arrest remain unclear, the situation marks an escalation in longstanding tensions between Dodik-led RS and BiH. We assess that these tensions are currently highly unlikely to lead to political violence, as SIPA is unlikely to be able to arrest Dodik (which would carry more severe implications). However, the failed arrest underscores the severe political impasse that exists in BiH. We assess that this impasse will continue to undermine socio-economic health and the ease of doing business in BiH. (Source: Sibylline)
23 Apr 25. EU to amend defence funding rules to create fourth STEP pillar. The European Union is embarking on a large-scale rearmament programme amid a looming threat from Russia. The European Union (EU) is seeking to amend existing funding regulations to support coordinated investment in European defence technology, including areas such as missile defence, artillery systems, and missiles and ammunition, among others. According to a European Commission (EC) statement on 22 April, under planned new regulations to “stimulate defence-related investments within the EU budget”, the EU will look to strengthen its defence Readiness 2030 to implement the ReArm Europe plan. The proposed amendments are intended to improve the ability of EU member states to develop and scale up defence capabilities, while streamlining access to EU funds for defence projects. Changes include a broadening of the scope of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) programme to cover defence-related technologies and products, particularly those identified as priority capabilities in the recent White Paper for European Defence – Readiness 2030. Detailed in an EC legal document published on 22 April, additional details were able to be gleaned absent in the initial release, including opening up investment into technology areas such as air and missile defence, artillery, deep precision strike capabilities, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, and strategic enablers. This would create a fourth strategic sector under the STEP initiatives. Funding areas that could be used to finance STEP programmes includes the European Defence Fund (EDF), which is the EC’s instrument to support research and development in of advanced military capabilities. The EDF has a committed budget of nearly €7.3bn ($8.3bn) for 2021-2027, with €2.7bn allocated for collaborative defence research and €5.3bn for collaborative capability development projects that complement national contributions. According to official data, support is offered primarily through grants of up to 100% of eligible costs and a bonus system that considers SMEs, mid-caps, and connection to a PESCO project, which are pan-European programmes featuring multiple member states. The amended regulation also introduces additional flexibility in using EU funding to bolster the continent’s defence industry. In particular, the regulation includes a ‘landing clause’ within both the EDF and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP). This provision allows member states, on a voluntary basis, to transfer resources allocated to them under cohesion policy funds to these two programmes. The duration of ASAP is also extended until 31 December 2026. The EC added that the package of proposed amendments will complement the Omnibus Defence Simplification Package, expected to be presented in June 2025.
EU-UK defence pact on the cards
Meanwhile, as reported by The Times newspaper, the UK appears to be on the verge of agreeing a landmark defence and security partnership with the EU, enabling UK’s defence sector to invest in programmes associated with the €150bn SAFE plan. Without a partnership agreement, third-party countries are limited in how much they can invest in European defence programmes that utilise finances from the €150bn loan fund. However, with a deal, the UK would be allowed to commit greater industrial resources, and gain greater benefits, from pan-European defence collaborations. For the EU, enabling the UK to provide its own defence expertise in European rearmament plans is critical. The UK is considered to have an advanced defence economy, with particular expertise in military aerospace technology. (Source: army-technology.com)
22 Apr 25. Spanish spending spike to help hit NATO budget target this year. Spain will rapidly increase its military spending rate this year to reach the 2% of GDP target set for NATO members, the country’s prime minister announced on Tuesday. Spain so far has been among the alliance’s lowest defense spenders, with just 1.3% of the country’s total economic power going to the military. The €10.5bn boost ($12bn) in defense spending will raise the Spanish total to €34bn ($39bn) for this year. Madrid originally set a goal of reaching 2% of GDP for defense spending by 2029, but the envisioned cash infusion will mean that the target is reached in 2025 instead. While announcing the increased military budget on Tuesday, the country’s left-of-center prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said most of the funding — almost 90% — is expected to boost Spain’s domestic economy. He stressed that the country remained “pacifist” but that he hoped the increased military readiness would act as a deterrent to “those who might think of attacking Europe.” The money will come from the post-pandemic recovery funds, from the government’s savings due to Spain’s strong economic growth, and from several line items included in the government budget that were “no longer needed,” Sánchez said. Less than a fifth of the extra money will be used for the “purchase of arms in the traditional sense of the word,” the prime minister added. Of the €10.5bn boost ($12bn), 35% is earmarked for improving the working conditions of troops, over 31% will be spent on new telecom technologies and cybersecurity, nearly 19% will go to defense and deterrence tools, and close to 17% to support for emergency and natural disaster management. Spain’s economy has been doing remarkably well compared to much of the West in recent years, with GDP growing by 3.2% in 2024, making it the fastest-growing in the Eurozone. The country has been under left-of-center leadership since 2020, whose priorities have usually focused on social issues and the fair redistribution of wealth, not military spending. The Spanish boost in military spending follows a broader trend across Europe, which has experienced a historic about-face in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Defense budgets across the continent have significantly grown since, with military spending across the EU last year totaling €326bn ($374bn), or just under 2% of total GDP. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly called into question the collective security assured under NATO’s treaty for member states that don’t spend enough. The 2% target had been formally agreed by the alliance’s heads of state in 2014, following Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, although the number had first been pledged noncommittally in 2006. The target may be raised to 3% at the upcoming NATO summit in the Hague, which will be held in June. (Source: Defense News Early Bird/Defense News)
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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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