Articles

In this week's Debrief we get lost in translation, look at some of the world's increasing (yes, increasing) defence budgets and the F-35's first vertical take-off. Read more

Poland has set aside $43 billion for its defence budget over the next ten years, marking the largest boost in military spending in its history. The new budget will see a record-breaking 7% increase in spending year-on-year with the 2013 budget now standing at $9.5 billion. Read more

Would you fly in a 747 across the Atlantic....without a pilot? Well, it's happening. The UK is working on a UAV programme for pilotless civilian flights with BAE Systems having successfully completed its first test flight. In other news the Israeli defence budget has been cut (yes, cut) and the U.S. Army has appointed an Australian to a senior ranking position in its APAC contingent. Read more

The United States and Australia continue to build diplomatic ties after it was announced that Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith will visit the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The visit is the first by Australia since assuming a seat on the United Nations Security Council in January. Read more

In this week's Debrief we look at the crisis in Syria, the ministerial shuffle and then reshuffle in Benghazi and Samsung's deal with the U.S. for smartphones and tablets. Read more

Boko Haram, the Nigerian extremist Islamic group, is believed to be responsible for the massacre of scores of people in the northeastern town of Bama after 200 heavily armed members of the sect arrived on buses. Read more

Those seeing the human tragedy unfolding in Syria with a heart full of hell, ready to jump in, stop the bloodshed, and deliver Bashar Al-Assad a knock-out punch might do well to recall a telling anecdote from journalist Dexter Filkins from his days in Iraq. In 2003, with tensions running high, a car carrying Filkins got stuck in a hole. Luckily, just ahead he espied a “highway patrol,” its six members wearing gleaming white shirts and leaning against a car parked beneath an underpass. Read more

In this week's Debrief we cast our eye over the UK and India's new defence procurement initiatives, defence budgets, and the latest movements in North Korea. Read more

Sign up to Defence IQ by Friday 7th June 2013 and be entered into a prize draw to win a Kindle Fire HD. That's just four weeks away - so sign up now here. Terms and conditions apply. Read more

In this week's 5 Minute Debrief we look at the Russian exercise in Sweden, the US arms deal with Saudi Arabia and the Syria Electronic Army's hack of the AP Twitter account. Read more

In this week's 5 Minute Debrief we follow the news about global military spending going into reverse, the fortunes of one South African armoured vehicle maker in Brazil's growing market and the helicopter crash close to North Korea's border. Read more