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15 May 25. Russian aggression rises – and so does Poland’s defence budget as it boosts forces. Poland’s increasing defence budget to face any Russian aggression Poland has the largest military in the EU and the biggest defence budget in Nato as a percentage of its GDP. Now, the country is investing more of that budget on new equipment than any other Nato country. Also this week the first Polish F-35 pilots graduated from training in America. Poland announced recently that it is planning to introduce military training for every adult male, as prime minister Donald Tusk said the country may well need an army of 500,000 troops. Now, a slick TV commercial is urging people to join the Polish military. The reason for the recruitment drive is Russian President Vladimir Putin and concerns over his ambitions for a greater Russia. Poland is around 700 miles from the frontline in Ukraine, and after the experiences of the Second World War plus half a century of Soviet rule, it is taking no chances. The country also has a 330-mile border with Ukraine and a 250-mile border with Russia’s ally Belarus, where Moscow has deployed tactical nuclear weapons. So what is Poland doing to protect itself from Russian aggression? First of all, it has a plan to modernise its military and increase its defence industrial base. Warsaw is also spending a lot more money, a higher proportion of GDP on defence than any other Nato member. When Russia marched into Ukraine, Poland’s armed forces were the ninth largest in the alliance. Now, three years on, they are third behind Turkey and the US, with just over 200,000 active personnel, including a 90,000-strong regular army. A decade ago, Poland spent 1.9% of GDP on defence, around $10bn. By 2024, that figure had risen to 4.2% to $28bn, with plans to increase it to 4.7% this year. By comparison, Russia spends around 7% of GDP on its military and the UK 2.3%. Poland spending some extra money on personnel. Warsaw wants a land force of 300,000 in the next five years – a mix of regular, territorial and paramilitary units that will be bigger than the French and German armies combined. It has also been shopping, buying large amounts of new kit to replace the equipment that it had donated to Ukraine and to increase Poland’s lethality. The focus has been on buying heavy weapons. Poland has nearly 700 main battle tanks, among them South Korean K2 Black Panthers, German Leopards of various types and American Abrams, as well as several hundred PT-91 Twardys – a Polish variant of the T-72. And that’s just for now. More is coming. In total, Poland has ordered 1,300 tanks, including more than 800 Black Panthers and 250 of the latest M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams. And it has even opened an Abrams Tank Academy in Poznan. Artillery is another area Poland is investing in. It already has 800 artillery pieces, but it is buying more. After donating 18 Krab self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine, Poland’s now buying another 182 of them, bringing the total in the Polish army to just over 200. Warsaw has also ordered 200 South Korean K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers, and its land forces are getting 96 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in a deal worth $10bn. (Source: forces.net)
16 May 25. Rubio says NATO members will agree to 5% defense spending over next decade by June summit. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that all NATO members will have agreed on a goal of spending the equivalent to 5% of GDP on defense over the next decade by the 2025 NATO Summit in June. He made the comments while appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity.” The Reuters Tariff Watch newsletter is your daily guide to the latest global trade and tariff news. Sign up here. U.S. President Donald Trump cut defence funding to NATO during the latter part of his first term in 2017-21, and has frequently complained that the U.S. is paying more than its fair share.
“I can tell you that we are headed for a summit in six weeks, in which virtually every member of NATO will be at or above 2% but more importantly, many of them will be over 4% and all will have agreed on the goal of reaching 5% over the next decade,” said Rubio.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said this week that Berlin backed a demand by Trump for members of the defence alliance to increase defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP). (Source: Reuters)
09 May 25. The head of the Royal Navy has stepped down over allegations he had a relationship with a female colleague under his command. Admiral Sir Ben Key, 59, has stepped back from all duties while the Ministry of Defence (MoD) carries out an investigation into his alleged extramarital affair. A Royal Navy source insisted the relationship was “consensual” but added that it was “disappointing” because Sir Ben, who has served more than 40 years in the Navy, was held in such high regard within the Armed Forces. Sir Ben, who is married with three children, had previously announced that he would retire as First Sea Lord this summer, despite being considered as a frontrunner to become the next Chief of the Defence Staff. (Source: Daily Telegraph)
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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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