Security

France slams ‘unacceptable’ Russian targeting of Baltic patrol flight

PARIS — France says a Russian S-400 air-defense system targeted a French maritime patrol flight over the Baltic Sea this week in what the country’s Armed Forces Minister Sébastian Lecornu called an “unacceptable” act of aggression. A French Atlantique 2 aircraft...
Read More

Norway, France vow closer defense ties as Naval Group eyes frigate biz

PARIS — Norway and France agreed to step up defense cooperation, signing a letter of intent that paves the way for working together more closely in areas such as maritime surveillance. The agreement comes as France’s Naval Group eyes a multibillion-dollar acquisition...
Read More

Turkish navy touts strategic ambitions with Mavi Vatan 2025 drill

ISTANBUL — The Turkish navy is wrapping up the weeklong Mavi Vatan 2025 exercise this week, a large-scale operation meant to showcase Ankara’s strategic maritime ambitions in the region and beyond. The Mavi Vatan (Blue Homeland) doctrine, introduced in 2019,...
Read More

Japans passes record defense budget, while still playing catch-up

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — While Japan’s Cabinet has approved a record defense budget for 2025, the 13th growth year in a row, Tokyo’s military posture vis-à-vis regional threats remains a work on progress, according a U.S. analyst. Grant Newsham, senior research...
Read More