Wednesday, October 14, 2026

US leaders send mixed messages to Indo-Pacific nations

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Army officials from 25 different Indo-Pacific nations recently met in New Zealand to hammer out cooperative defense strategies. Simultaneously, the top political leaders in the United States were sending conflicting messages about its partnerships in the region.The 50th Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) was held in Auckland in late September, and…

French Air Force plans loyal wingman flight in 2028 in sovereign AI push

PARIS — France’s Air Force, together with the country’s Directorate General for Armament and the agency for defense artificial intelligence, plans to fly crewed fighter jets in collaboration with combat drones in 2028, part of a project to experiment with AI in combat aviation dubbed Hypairion.The project seeks to develop open, modular architecture for combat…

Ukraine war fatigue fuels defense-spending downgrade plan in Italy

ROME — Italian military planners risk losing out on €8 billion ($9 billion) in funding as government and opposition parties seek to cut both defense spending and support for Ukraine.The plans to limit spending emerged this week as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni continues to be squeezed between NATO spending targets and voter opposition to…