Belgium Officially Joins The FCAS Project

Belgium announced its desire to join the largest European arms project. On Friday 16 June 2023, the Council of Ministers agreed to propose the country to join the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) (Payne, 2023; Roberfroid, 2023). Belgium will be first granted an “observer” status for at least months to a year before fully integrating the programme (Pugnet, 2023). During the next year, the Belgian defence industries will be assessed to determine which firms will participate in the industrial development phase of the programme.

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Germany drafts its first National Security Strategy since WW2

On 14 June 2023, Germany revealed its first National Security Strategy since the end of WW2. The plan was in preparation since November 2021 (DeutscheWelle, 2023). And while the document was supposed to be delivered during the Munich Security Council in February, though its release was delayed by internal disagreements among the government’s coalition parties (Von Der Burchard, 2023).

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Turmoil in Kosovo

On 29 May 2023, Serb protesters clashed with troops of the NATO-led mission in Kosovo* (KFOR) after demonstrators attempted to force their way into a government building in Zvecan, located in the Serb-majority northern part of the territory (Bytyci, 2023a). The clashes resulted in approximately 30 KFOR peacekeepers suffering injuries (Bytyci, 2023a). Prior to the incident, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered, on 26 May, an urgent movement of troops to the border with Kosovo after ethnic Serbs had clashed with local police in the country (Al Jazeera, 2023).

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Strengthening Military Cooperation between Japan and the United States in Response to Regional Instability: Historical Background and Contemporary Security Dynamics

This Info Flash examines the historical background to provide a comprehensive analysis of the US-Japan military cooperation. It delves into the current security situation shaping the Asia Pacific region, serving as the driving force behind the ongoing efforts to modernize and enhance military collaboration between the two nations. Despite their complex shared histories, the United States and Japan have significantly bolstered their military cooperation. The primary catalyst behind this strengthening of defence collaboration is the mounting instability within the Asia Pacific region. Japan confronts a multitude of challenges as the increasingly assertive China, which is pursuing a more aggressive regional security policy, and the persistent threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear capabilities, including their missile launches targeting Japanese territory. Moreover, the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia contributes to the volatility in the region. The resulting instability underscores the paramount importance of the alliance between the U.S. and Japan, emphasizing the need to modernize their forces and project their combined influence. This is crucial for promoting stability and upholding the rule of law in an international system that is growing increasingly turbulent.

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PESCO launches new projects as Denmark joins the effort to improve European military interoperability

At the end of May, the Council of the European Union adopted 11 new projects and welcomed Denmark as a new member state of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) initiative (European Council, 2023). These events are milestones for two reasons; first, these new operations have a focus on interoperability; and second, Denmark’s accession itself, as in the past the country was reluctant to join PESCO and European defence efforts. The 11 new projects focus on a range of military domains. These include training, land, maritime, air systems and cyber. More specifically, the projects concerning land interoperability will primarily focus on unmanned ground systems, communication and infrastructure networks (PESCO, 2023).

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