Major military tactical exercises Whirlwind 2024 took place in Serbia. The exercises were one of the largest and most comprehensive conducted by the Serbian army. T-72B1MS and M-84AS1 tanks, Mig-29 aircraft, Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-35M and Airbus H145M helicopters were used in the exercises. The air defense system was represented by the HQ-22 air defense system, this is the Chinese analogue of the Russian S-300 air defense system, the Pantsir-S1 air defense system, and the Kub air defense system... Read more ..read more

According to the Austrian-based International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Europe will face a new wave of migration crisis in 2024. Data from the EU for 2023 shows more than 1m asylum applications were made in 2023, up by about 20% on 2022 and the highest number since 2016, according to the ICMPD. 2024 will see the increase of these figures. The number of illegal migrants expected to be huge either. The war in the Middle East and in Ukraine, the prospect of Donald Trump... Read more ..read more

Canada has just released it's much anticipated new Defence Policy -"OUR NORTH, STRONG AND FREE"- SEE BELOW: What's in Canada's new 'Our North, Strong and Free' defence policy OTTAWA — Canada’s military is set to take a bigger role in the North over the next two decades as climate change and increasingly aggressive foes threaten Arctic sovereignty. In all, the “Our North, Strong and Free” defence policy will allocate another $73 billion over the next 20 years. Here... toronto.citynews.ca ..read more

2024 is a year of elections in many countries. Part of the world’s population will head to the polls, from big countries like the United States to small nations like Austria, Lithuania. But a year of elections doesn’t necessarily mean a year of democracy. That’s because a key ingredient of democracy, transparency –which enables the political opposition, independent media, active citizens and civil society organisations to trust decision makers’ actions – is at a historic low... Read more ..read more

The world is closer than ever before to starting a nuclear war due to reckless statements by several countries. The matter is European countries which are simultaneously the members of two large and influential international organizations (the European Union and NATO) are seriously discussing sending troops to Ukraine. Thus, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a gathering of European leaders in Paris that the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine has not been... Read more ..read more

At the end of February European Union member countries agreed on a 13th round of sanctions against Russia though they face mounting criticism that the restrictions already in force are failing to halt the war in Ukraine. The package added around 200 names to the list of sanctioned individuals banned from traveling to the EU, while both the individuals and companies face freezes on their assets. Separately, a number of entities were newly listed in a law that prohibits them from... Read more ..read more

Polls conducted in the United States have shown a gradual ebbing of public support for the US financial involvement in the Ukrainian war, especially among Republicans. Some 55% of Americans said in a CNN poll in August that Congress should not authorize additional funding to support Ukraine. The survey found 71% of Republicans opposed new spending. The more so, sending more taxpayer funds to a war on the edge of Europe is incompatible with the “America First” creed of a party dominated by... Read more ..read more

Here are the latest updates as is either known or speculated as of 03 March 2024 for the Canadian Surface Combatant (CSC) Type 26 Frigate weapons & systems design. The number of MK 41 VLS Cells has been dropped to 24 Cells forward vice 32. As seen by this latest graphic, the mast is not only taller but has lost the X Band Illumination AESA Radar with a large hole in the middle to save weight no doubt however both Ottawa & MDA are not talking. It has been said that the X Band... Read more ..read more

Lithuania is actively strengthening its Armed Forces and purchasing military equipment. It is not difficult to guess that the main beneficiary of the militarization of Lithuania is the United States’ military-industrial complex. Lithuanian Minister of Defence Arvydas Anušauskas said that planned and ongoing purchases from the United States alone reach €1.2 billion. In total, Lithuania will allocate about €23 billion for military needs over the next 10 years. Anušauskas noted... Read more ..read more

Lithuania continues to face falling living standards. And the authorities make no attempts to ease the burden of rising prices and financial problems of the residents. On the contrary, government is taking steps that significantly complicate the situation for people. As of this year, Lithuania abolished the reduced 9 percent value-added tax (VAT). The reduced 9 percent VAT rate was introduced to help businesses affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authorities decided the time has come to... Read more ..read more