Global Scans · Military · Weekly Summary

• [New] Expenditure growth will be driven by additional investment-related expenditure, supported by the German recovery and resilience plan in 2026, and an increase in defence spending. Economy and Finance
• [New] Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 initiative explicitly targets AI as a strategic economic pillar, with synthetic media applications in public communications, tourism promotion, and defence training among the identified use cases. Vantage Market Research
• [New] Japan introduced its first Space Domain Defence Guidelines, emphasising satellite protection and countermeasures against anti-satellite threats, signalling a stronger integration of space into national security strategy. Bird & Bird
• [New] The Golden Dome missile defence initiative could carry a $1.2 trillion price tag over the next two decades. JD Supra
• [New] Military planners across the world are increasingly studying how artificial intelligence could transform air combat, logistics and battlefield decision-making. Social News XYZ
• [New] Artificial intelligence warfare, drone systems, Arctic security, cybersecurity threats, NATO spending, and geopolitical fragmentation are all converging simultaneously. Kalkine
• [New] Any action taken by Trump or his administration which either officially institutes a policy of ending military aid to Ukraine, or otherwise has the effect of ending military aid to Ukraine will qualify regardless of if / when the enacted policy goes into effect. Polymarket
• [New] At the NATO Summit in 2025, allies committed to invest 5% of GDP a year on core defence requirements and defence - and security-related spending by 2035. George W. Bush Presidential Center
• [New] Several major military bases have implemented or are planning large-scale microgrid projects to ensure a continuous power supply during cyberattacks, natural disasters, or other disruptions. Market Data Forecast
• [New] The Department of Defense has identified energy resilience as a critical priority, recognizing that reliance on the civilian grid poses a vulnerability to military operations. Market Data Forecast
• [New] With the Indo-Pacific designated as the primary theater and the 2026 National Defense Strategy deprioritizing large-scale land campaigns in Europe, the Army risks being left behind in a budget fight dominated by maritime concerns. TheDefenseWatch.com
• [New] Global military AI spending is estimated to have doubled from $4.6 billion to $9.2 billion between 2022 and 2023, and is projected to reach $38.8 billion by 2028. TheDefenseWatch.com
• [New] The Trump administration is seeking approximately $55 billion for drone and autonomous warfare programs in the fiscal 2027 defence budget, up from approximately $225 million the prior year, representing the largest single-year drone procurement increase in U.S. history. Cision PR Newswire
• [New] With military modernization accelerating worldwide, the drone sector is expected to remain one of the fastest-growing areas within the global aerospace and defence industry for years to come. Cision PR Newswire
• [New] A new US military wargame simulated a nuclear weapon in orbit, highlighting the risks of space-based conflicts. Coaio Limited
• [New] The U.S. Space Development Agency plans to deploy more than 1,000 Low-Earth orbit satellites by 2026 under its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, enhancing real-time situational awareness for defence missions. MarkNtel Advisors
• [New] Royal Air Force Typhoon jets will be fitted with an Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System to destroy targets more precisely and at a fraction of the price of missiles currently in use. BBC News
• [New] In response to the rising power of the Chinese navy, the United States Navy emphasizes the Golden Fleet initiative and the rise of autonomous vessels to densify its presence and disperse risk at sea. Meta-Defense.fr
• [New] Beijing should recognize that launching a military unification campaign would not merely involve military risks, but would amount to jeopardizing the foundations of China's broader modernization process. E-International Relations
• [New] Control of Taiwan would allow China to project military power directly into the Western Pacific. E-International Relations
• [New] Although the Trump-Xi summit might temporarily ease U.S.-China tensions, the deeper and longer-term issue concerning Taiwan, the United States, and China is how to avoid a potential military confrontation over the Taiwan Strait and the trap of systemic collapse. E-International Relations
• [New] At the 2025 summit in the Netherlands, allies agreed to raise respective member-level defence investments by 2035 - individual country investments in their own defence, not direct cash transfers to NATO. George W. Bush Presidential Center
• [New] Iranian missile and drone strikes against U.S. bases and civilian infrastructure in the Middle East are a stark reminder that China and other adversaries could similarly conduct strikes against military and civilian targets in the Indo-Pacific. Center for Strategic and International Studies

Last updated: 28 May 2026