Australia has awarded Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace a contract worth about $96 million to supply joint strike missiles from the Norwegian company’s newly opened factory at the Newcastle Airport precinct in New South Wales. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles said the JSMs, scheduled for delivery in 2025, will accelerate Canberra’s...
Category: Defense Security Cooperation
State Department Clears Japan’s $150M FMS Request for Aegis Destroyer Follow-On Technical Support
The U.S. Department of State has approved the Japanese government’s request to procure Aegis-class destroyer follow-on technical support and related equipment. Lockheed Martin will be the principal contractor for the potential $150 million foreign military sale, which will provide the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s Aegis destroyer fleet and computer program test sites with software updates...
US Hosts Offensive Cybersecurity Operations Training for Five Eyes Partners
The U.S. Cyber Command’s latest leg of its Cyber Flag cyber training exercises concentrated on improving the offensive cybersecurity operations of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Cyber Flag 24-2 was participated in by cyber units from the five nations, with New Zealand sitting...
Poland Plans to Continue Military Modernization With $42B Investment
The Polish government plans to spend $41.6 billion to modernize its military capabilities in 2024, upgrades that cover the purchase of equipment, including: new fighter jets for the Polish Air Force, combat and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles to power the newly established Drone Force, training helicopters and ship-based helicopters to replace aging aircraft, and submarines...
US to Help Boost Jordan’s Disease Response Capability With Pathogen Analysis Training
The United States will help strengthen Jordan’s response capability to disease outbreaks under a joint requirements implementation plan with the Royal Medical Services of the Jordanian Armed Forces. The plan calls for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under the Department of Defense to mobilize its Biological Threat Reduction Program in collaboration with RMS to organize training...
London Seeks Parliament Approval to Put Nuclear-Sharing Arrangments With US on Permanent Footing
The U.K. government has notified its Parliament of proposed revisions to the UK-US Mutual Defence Agreement that include indefinitely extending the nuclear cooperation arrangement between the two countries due to expire at the end of 2024. The proposed extension seeks to amend a provision in Article 5 of the 1958 agreement that subjects the pact...
SAIC Enables US Military Partners to Access Indopacom Joint Fires Network
Science Applications International Corp. served as the lead system integrator during the Valiant Shield 2024 exercise in June, enabling international military partners to connect into a prototype of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s Joint Fires Network battle management platform. JFN provided the Royal Canadian Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and French Navy with the capability to...
Australia Signs Agreement With Indonesia to Improve Defense Cooperation; Richard Marles Quoted
Australia has entered into a treaty-level agreement with Indonesia to improve defense cooperation amid regional threats. Signed by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto on Thursday, the Australia-Indonesia Defence Cooperation Agreement would elevate the cooperation and interoperability between the nations in several aspects, including: counterterrorism, education and training, humanitarian and...
Serbia Acquires New Dassault Combat Aircraft
French military aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation has secured a contract from Serbia for 12 Rafale combat aircraft. Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier and Serbian Minister of Defence Bratislav Gasic signed the deal on Thursday in the presence of French President Emmanuel Macron and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, part of the two nations’ commitment to nurturing...
Netherlands Boosts Missile Defense Capability With Planned Purchase of Patriot Launch Stations
The U.S. Department of State has approved the possible sale of two Patriot missile launching stations and related equipment to the Netherlands valued at an estimated $224 million. The request includes the acquisition of equipment and services to upgrade existing M901 LS to the M903 LS configuration, plus nonmajor defense equipment such as Patriot Advanced...