Greek Army Receives a new Batch of 90 M117 Guardian ASV from the US

On 25 July, the Hellenic Army received 90 M117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicles (TTOA-ASV) from the US. The vehicles have been sent in the framework of the American Excess Defence Articles (EDA) Program, with which the US transfers excess defence equipment to foreign governments or international organisations, thus enabling the modernisation of partner forces and strengthening the capabilities of the allies. Formally, vehicles declared EDA are no longer part of the US Army’s inventory. Greece already received an initial batch of 44 M117 ASV in 2021, and it expects to get a total of 1200 units by the end of 2022. As envisaged by the program, the Greek Army has received the vehicles at a meager cost, covering only the transportation expenses.

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BAE System’s CV90 MkIV to be the New IFV of the Czech Republic

On 20 July, the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic announced having chosen the CV90 MkIV by BAE Systems Hägglunds as its new Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV). The decision comes after the Czech Government cancelled the tender to acquire over 200 new infantry fighting vehicles after two of the three bidders dropped their proposals (Rheinmetall’s Lynx KF41 and GDELS’ ASCOD 42). The Czech Ministry of Defence will thus start negotiations with the Swedish Government to acquire CV90 vehicles. As indicated by Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová, the participation of the Czech defence industry in their manufacturing will remain a high priority in the negotiation process.

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European Commission grants €1.2 billion to 61 Collaborative Defence Cooperation Projects under the European Defence Fund

On 20 July 2022, the European Commission announced that it would grant €1.2 billion to 61 collaborative defence research and development (R&D) projects under the European Defence Fund (EDF). The selected projects focus on a broad range of high-end defence capability development, from next-generation aircraft, ships and tanks to artificial intelligence and cyber capabilities, semiconductors and new materials, and quantum and other potentially disruptive technologies.

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U.S State Department Approves Sale Project for Patriot Missiles to the Netherlands

The U.S Department of State has approved a possible military sale to the Government of the Netherlands of ninety-six PATRIOT MIM-104E Guidance Enhanced Missile-Tactical (GEM-T) Ballistic Missiles and related equipment for an envisioned cost of $1.219 billion. The sale proposal scheme includes, in addition to the missiles, training and test equipment, spare and repair parts, technical assistance, logistic service and support equipment. The Department of State’s decision came after an intense week of dialogue with Netherlands, as the Dutch Defence Minister visited the Pentagon on 13 June, and with other allies, Washington hosted the Fourth Ukraine Defence Contact Group on 20 June.

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Latvia Plans to Increase Its Armed Forces by Reintroducing Compulsory Military Service

On 5 July 2022, Latvian Defence Minister Artis Pabriks announced on Twitter that the Baltic country would undergo a programme to reintroduce compulsory military service. The decision came in response to the growing security concerns over possible Russian aggressive conduct. According to Pabkris’ post on the popular social platform, expanding the number of effective will serve as a deterrent against potential threats coming from its eastern neighbour. From 2007, the Latvian armed forces were composed of career soldiers and part-time serving volunteers, plus a limited number of NATO troops, but now, Pabriks stresses that the system has reached “its limit of power growth”.

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