Poland is stepping up its defense game in a major way. Starting this month, the country is launching a new military training program called "At Readiness. " This isn't just any old training program—it's a massive effort to prepare around 400, 000 people by 2026. That's a lot of folks! Why the sudden push? Well, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has everyone on edge. Pola...
NATO's new defense spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035, set at the 2025 summit, is a big deal. But it's not as straightforward as it seems. The plan splits spending into two parts: 3. 5% for traditional defense and 1. 5% for broader security needs. The problem? No one knows exactly what counts as the latter. This lack of clarity could lead to some creative bookkeep...
Estonia's president, Alar Karis, recently shared some interesting insights about the Russia-Ukraine war and the challenges of finding peace. He mentioned a conversation he had with former U. S. President Donald Trump earlier this year. Trump had said they were close to ending the war, but as of October, that wasn't the case. Karis pointed out that negotiating peace ...
In a show of force, Russia launched a massive wave of missiles and drones at Ukraine. This wasn't just any attack—it was one of the biggest since the war started. The goal? To cripple Ukraine's power grid. And it worked, at least a bit. Ukraine had to ration electricity across most of the country. Lights out, basically. But here's where it gets interesting. Poland, ...
Top Republicans in Congress are not happy with the Pentagon's plan to cut down the number of U. S. troops in Eastern Europe. They think it's a bad idea, especially since Russia has been acting aggressively in the area. Senators Roger Wicker and Mike Rogers released a statement saying they strongly disagree with the Pentagon's decision. They believe that reducing tro...
The U. S. has decided to reduce its military presence along Europe's eastern border with Ukraine. This change is part of a broader review of U. S. military strategy. Around 80, 000 to 100, 000 U. S. troops are typically stationed in Europe. The reduction involves pulling out a brigade that has been rotating through several NATO countries, including Romania. Romania'...
Lithuania is taking strong action against its neighbor Belarus. The country has decided to close its border with Belarus. This is because of repeated problems caused by weather balloons. These balloons are used to smuggle contraband cigarettes into Lithuania from Belarus. The balloons have been causing trouble at Lithuania's main airport. They have forced the airpor...
Germany's top diplomat is making a significant shift in his travel plans. Instead of heading to China, he's now focusing on meetings in Brussels with key figures from NATO, the EU, and India. This change comes after China only agreed to one meeting out of several requested by Germany. It seems tensions are rising between the two countries, especially when it comes to...
President Donald Trump had a busy day of meetings and announcements. He sat down with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office. Rutte praised Trump's efforts to bring peace to the Middle East and offered NATO's support for Ukraine. This meeting happened just as the U. S. announced new sanctions against Russia's major oil companies, Rosneft and Lukoil. Tre...
The U. S. government shutdown is causing big problems for the military. Over 11, 000 U. S. soldiers in Germany might not get paid. Germany is stepping in to help. They will cover the paychecks of these troops. This is a big deal because Germany has the most U. S. troops of any European country. There are about 35, 000 soldiers stationed there. The shutdown is now in...