German and Dutch Patriot Systems to be Deployed in Slovakia

The Associated Press (AP) reports that Germany and the Netherlands will deploy their armed forces’ Patriot Air Defence Systems in Slovakia. Notably, the deployment comes after an official request made by NATO to the two-member states; it is unclear whether Slovakia previously made a request to NATO. The deployment must be understood twofold: First, as conventional deterrence and second, as an exercise in signalling NATO’s commitment to its eastern member states.

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THEIA Programme Spearheads UK Army’s Digitalisation Effort

In March 2021, the UK Government published its much-anticipated policy paper “Global Britain in a Competitive Age: The Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy”. The publication of the policy paper resulted in a significant development for the UK Army’s ongoing digitalisation effort, namely the launch of project THEIA. Project THEIA, which is not an acronym but rather a reference to a figure in Greek mythology, seeks to create a change in the Army’s (digital) culture and behaviour

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Serbia Shows Off New Chinese Anti-Aircraft Missile System

On 30 April 2022 was held the “Shield 2022” demonstration of the Serbian Army’s capabilities, where their new military acquisition, the FK-3 anti-aircraft missile system from China, was presented. This FK-3 surface to air missile system is the export version of the HQ-22 surface to air missile system developed by Jiangnan Space Industry of China. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that this equipment would modernise their military capacity and represents a powerful deterrent against potential threats.

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Trojan Footprint – a Record-Setting Military Drill for Special Operation Forces

In the mid-May of this year, we are to witness the most significant military exercise for Special Operation Forces (SOF) ever displayed. The second edition of this exercise is set to begin on 9 May 2022. The exercise, named “Trojan Footprint”, will be held in German, Poland, Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Slovakian, Hungarian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Greek, North Macedonian, Montenegrin, Georgian, Croatian, and Slovenian territories.

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