North Korea's Academy of Defence Science (ADS) has test-launched what it claims to be a newly developed surface-to-air missile.  The test-launch was conducted on 30 September to confirm the “general combat functions” of the missile and its accompan...

UK Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace has revealed that his ministry is working to streamline the approval process for future kinetic strikes against terrorist targets in Afghanistan.  Speaking during a Policy Exchange think-tank panel at t...

Nuclear flight trials of the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) have been completed, paving the way for the type receiving its nuclear design certification.  The US Air Force (USAF) announced on 4 October that two F-35As...

A French naval vessel in the port of Abidjan on 8 November 2019 participates in an exercise with Côte d'Ivoire authorities to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. International co-operation is key for regional states' efforts to tackle the problem. (Patrick Fort/AFP via Getty Images)  The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency's (NIMASA's) Director-General Bashir Jamoh stated on 16 September that costs incurred by piracy in the Gulf of Guinea amounted to USD783 million in 2021. Since 2016, the Gulf of Guinea has become a global ho...

Jon Grevatt, principal at Janes takes a look at the plan to allocate TWD240 billion to enhance sea and air combat capability  Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense (MND) has advanced its plan to allocate TWD240 billion (USD8.6 billion) in additional military funding to enhance the island’s sea and air combat capability. The MND submitted its funding plan for approval to the island’s Legislative Yuan on 4 October. The proposal was approved by Taiwan’s Executive Yuan in September.   The funding plan was submitted on the same day that the MND an...

A girl and her brother stand on a donkey cart next to their tent at a displacement camp for people affected by intense flooding in Beledweyne, Somalia, on 14 December 2019. (Luis Tato/AFP via Getty Images)  This article is the fifth in the 2021 Climate Change & Terrorism series, which explores the intersection of climate-related trends and non-state armed group (NSAG) activity across the globe.  Drought is currently affecting several regions in Somalia, particularly in Bari, Gedo, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nuugal, Sool, and Toghdh...

As Airshow China 2021 kicks off,  Kelvin Wong, unmanned systems editor at Janes explores the unique flavour of China’s premier national aerospace and defence exhibition series and previews the some of the new systems that will debut at this year’s event  The 13th iteration of the biennial China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China, promises to be yet another brief but valuable window of opportunity to observe China’s growing ability to indigenously develop and field advanced equipment.   This year’s edit...

Australia's Collins-class submarines seen here in formation off Western Australia. The country is procuring a fleet of nuclear-powered boats to replace the Collins class, and the move has evoked varied reactions from Canberra's Southeast Asian neighbours including Malaysia. (Commonwealth of Australia)  A Malaysian delegation will visit China to hold talks with the country's leadership on AUKUS and understand the concerns that Beijing may have over the newly announced partnership.  The matter was disclosed by the country's Defence Minister Hi...

India's Union Minister for Environment and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav and United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry launch the Climate Action and Finance Mobilisation Dialogue (CAFMD) under the India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership, in New Delhi, India, on 13 September 2021. India's armed forces are beginning to address the security challenges posed by climate change. (Arvind Yadav/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment report (AR6)...

The RN's second-in-class aircraft carrier HMS   Prince of Wale  s (foreground), pictured sailing with sister ship   Queen Elizabeth  for the first time in the North Atlantic in May 2021.  (Crown copyright/UK Ministry of Defence)    The UK Royal Navy's (RN's) second-in-class aircraft carrier HMS   Prince of Wales  is participating in NATO Maritime Command's (MARCOM's) ‘Dynamic Mariner' exercise as a final sea trials phase for certifying its availability for operations.     On...

The US Coast Guard (USCG) needs to develop a better system to improve the way it conducts surge operations, according to 21 September report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).  “The coastguard must often rely on surge operations to redu...

Four of the RAN's six Collins-class submarines in close formation while transiting Cockburn Sound in Western Australia. These conventionally powered boats will now be replaced by a fleet with nuclear propulsion. (Lt C Prescott/Commonwealth of Australia)  Australia's far-reaching strategic decision to procure a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines with the assistance of the United States and United Kingdom was driven by three convergent situations, according to sources familiar with the background to the surprise 16 September announcement.  The...

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) officially released its quarterly report on Iran's nuclear programme on 16 September, revealing a significant decrease in the overall size of its uranium stockpile since the last report in May.  It esti...

UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has moved to calm a war of words with the French government over Australia's ditching of a deal to build conventionally powered submarines with French assistance in favour of nuclear-powered submarines based on UK a...

A 20-year comprehensive road map for the British Army's future equipment requirements and spiral development plans is to be included in the United Kingdom's Land Industrial Strategy when it is revealed later this year.  Speaking at the DSEI exhibi...

The US is ramping up export controls on Ethiopia and Eritrea in response to recent clashes between the two countries (Getty Images)  The US Department of State is preparing to add Ethiopia and Eritrea to its list of countries with a policy of denial for the transfer of military equipment under Section 126.1 of the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), while extending its waiver for Cyprus, Janes has learnt.  The updated policy toward Ethiopia and Eritrea came as a result of the recent conflict in the Tigray region in northern Ethio...

Operational commanders are reorganising how the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ) conducts overseas missions in the era of great-power competition.  Speaking at the DSEI exhibition in London on 15 September, UK Chief of Joint Operations (CJO)...

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has announced plans to double the size of the Salvadoran military by 2026, from 20,000 up to 40,000 troops, in a bid to improve internal security against criminal gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha, also known a...

Future battlefield advantage will not come from numerical supremacy in warships, fighter squadrons or soldiers but machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Head of UK Strategic Command, General Sir Patrick Sanders.  Speak...

The Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) has criticised the Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra for failing to properly manage the security vetting of companies involved in delivering contracts worth more than AUD200 billion (USD146 billion)...