Norway wants to increase defense spending in preparation for a potential conflict with Russia. “As our security environment is deteriorating, we need to spend more on and pay more attention to defense and preparedness,” said Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, the country’s minister of finance. Under the Norwegian government’s long-term defense plan, about $60 billion will be invested over...
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Category: Policy Updates
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US, 4 Other Countries to Lead Work on Global Military AI Guardrails
The United States, Canada, Portugal, Bahrain and Austria will spearhead a one-year program to seek new safety standards for military use of artificial intelligence and automated systems. Breaking Defense reported that the countries were chosen during the inaugural plenary meeting of delegates from 46 out of the 53 countries that endorsed the U.S. Political Declaration...
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Defense Industry Seeks Clarification on Ottawa’s Arms Export Freeze to Israel
Canadian arms exporters to Israel with permits approved before Jan. 8 can proceed with the transaction, even as Canada’s House of Commons passed on March 18 a measure temporarily halting such sales over human rights concerns from Tel Aviv’s military actions in Gaza. The Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries, however, still wants specific...
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Japan Plans to Export Future Next-Generation Fighters to Third Countries; Fumio Kishida Quoted
Japan has approved a plan to export its upcoming next-generation fighter jets to other countries. The government’s chief executive body greenlighted the proposed international arms sales on Tuesday and supported revising the country’s arms equipment and technology transfer guidelines, the Associated Press reported. The decision paves the way for Tokyo to supply partner nations and...
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New Defense Pact Seeks to Enhance UK-Australia Security Cooperation
Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles and U.K. Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps have signed a new defense and security cooperation agreement to strengthen the partnership between Canberra and London on common issues and concerns. The U.K. government said the pact was signed during the annual Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations, or AUKMIN, held Friday...
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UK Launches Funding to Boost Nuclear Defense, Energy Industry
The United Kingdom has launched a new effort to strengthen its defense and civil nuclear industry. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged a $963 million investment to build a skilled workforce to fill 40,000 new jobs in the nuclear sector by 2030. The government is working with industry leaders such as Babcock, BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and EDF...
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US Designates Procurement Networks Supporting Iranian Defense Sector; Brian Nelson Quoted
The United States has imposed sanctions on three procurement networks for supplying designated Iranian entities with materials for the production of military weapons under Iran’s ballistic missile, nuclear and defense programs. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has designated Iranian-German national Maziar Karim, his companies Mazixon GmbH and Co KG and...
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US Sanctions Money Laundering Network Supporting Somali Militant Group al-Shabab
The United States has sanctioned a network of individuals and entities that raise and launder money for Somalia-based al-Shabaab. According to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the al-Qaida affiliate is a militant group responsible for attacks in East Africa that have killed thousands of innocent civilians. The sanction targeted eight...
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US Designates Two Companies Over Links to Russia’s Wagner Group
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has sanctioned Russian company Broker Expert and Central African Republic-based Wood International Group for supporting the Wagner Group, a Russian state-funded private military company. According to the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the Wagner Group has launched actions threatening the peace, security, stability, sovereignty, or territorial integrity of...
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Treasury Designates Companies, Vessels Shipping Commodities to Finance Houthis
The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has sanctioned several foreign companies and vessels for transporting commodities to finance the terror activities of the Houthi militant group. According to the agency, Marshall Islands-based Reneez Shipping and the Hongkong Unitop Group operated Palau-flagged Reneez and Panama-flagged Eternal Fortune, respectively, to ship cargos on...