Posts Tagged ‘Defence’
Latvia to host EUDIS Defence Hackathon for the first time
Riga Technical University (RTU) Science and Innovation Centre (ZIC) invites applications for participation in the defence industry hackathon EUDIS Defence Hackathon 2025 by May 5. The hackathon will take place from May 9 to 11 at RTU Rezekne Academy.
The goal of the hackathon is to promote innovation development in the defence sector, focusing on the creation of innovative equipment and software solutions for Ukraine’s defence needs.
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Originally published on 14 Apr
Read MoreA return to arms Danske Bank resumes defence investments
Asset managers with Danske Bank, Denmark’s largest financial institution, may now place investors’ money in nearly all European firms working in the defence industry, after it removed 30 firms from its blacklist earlier this month, leaving only producers of the most controversial weapons out of bounds.
The decision comes amidst growing European concerns about whether it can protect itself from a Russian attack, should America not live up to its commitment as a member of Nato. It also comes as European countries, looking to build up their defences after years of neglect, are now making it easy for their militaries to spend—and giving them plenty of money to do so. Denmark, for example, is expected to increase its defence spending from the current 2% of GDP to perhaps 5% in the coming years. Meanwhile the European Commission in March said it was making €800 billion available for defence spending.
For investors, such measures provide moral backing to the interest they had already begun showing the defence industry. After years of favouring funds that made a virtue of shunning arms, investors, according to Danske Bank, have more than doubled the amount of money going into defence-related firms over the past two years.
Despite its about face, Danske Bank is keeping its restrictions on controversial weapons banned by international conventions, including cluster bombs, anti-personnel mines and biological and chemical weapons. Similarly, it says it will continue to offer investment options for those who prefer their capitalism with a streak of pacifism. All’s fair in investment and in war.
Read MoreCome back and stand by Bornholm’s home guard wants former members to rejoin
The home guard on Bornholm this week sent out letters to 250 of its former members, asking them to consider rejoining the volunteer force, which currently numbers 300. It is a mission that will not be hard to complete: concerns about Moscow’s next move after Ukraine has led to a surge in the number of home-guard members nationwide. Last year, the number of new volunteers increased 35% from the previous year, the most in over four decades.
More military spending will also help. Copenhagen has vastly increased its defence budget in recent years. Only a fraction of this will go to the home guard, but the money will be used directly on the types of things that matter most to soldiers: guns, body armour and sleeping bags.
For islanders, the big motivator is geography. Being far removed from Denmark proper and having been left to fend for itself in the past has left its mark on islanders, and their home guard unit can operate with a greater degree of autonomy than units elsewhere in Denmark. Some residents and military experts want the military to take it a step further and reactivate Bornholms Værn, a volunteer militia that had existed for 400 years until it was disbanded in 2000.
Prior to Russian invasion of Ukraine, the home guard was mostly tasked with helping civil authorities and the police. Today, support for the regular army is increasingly being added to those duties, and the local commander expects more missions of that sort in the years to come. To keep up, he must keep the home guard returning.
Read MoreFinland, Denmark move closer on defence, hybrid-threat response
Helsinki and Copenhagen are prepared to pool more of their resources in response to an increasingly tense situation in the Baltic Sea region, members of the cabinet from the two countries said today.
Already allied militarily through Nato and Nordefco, a Nordic defence alliance, the two countries’ defence ministers called for a deeper partnership in the Baltic and Nordic regions to deter Russian agression. Both countries make use of the F-35 fighter jet, and one proposal put forth was the Danish purchase of a refuelling plane that could service all of the Nordic countries.
Shared concern about hybrid attacks, including against computer systems in the two countries and undersea infrastructure in the Baltic, also requires authorities in both countries to be in lock step, according to a statement issued by the Finnish interior ministry and the Danish civil-defence ministry.
Today’s announcement comes as the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, is preparing to publish its own union-wide strategies for civil defence, internal security and defence. All three issues were added to Brussels’ remit earlier this year.
Read MoreFinns warn of “gloomy era” of confrontation
Russia still poses the greatest threat to Finland’s national security, according to the latest National Security Overview published today by Supo, its national intelligence agency.
Supo’s report warned that Russia’s resources will be freed up once the war in Ukraine ends, and these resources could be redirected towards hybrid influencing campaigns targeting other European countries, including Finland.
The main goal of Russia’s hybrid influencing efforts, for the time being at least, is to undermine Western support for Ukraine, according to the report.
In his foreword, Juha Martelius, the head of Supo, wrote that the world has entered a “gloomy era of superpower competition and confrontation between states” which is also seeing an increase in the use of proxies.
Source: Yle
Read MoreNATO DIANA Accelerator alumni GaltTec secures €1M to power drones and IoT devices with next-generation fuel cells
GaltTec, an Estonian deep-tech startup developing micro-tubular solid oxide fuel cells (mSOFCs) for portable and off-grid energy solutions, has successfully closed its pre-seed funding round, raising a total of €1 million from private investors and grants. The investment will accelerate the company’s mission to provide lightweight, long-lasting power solutions for drones and IoT devices, reducing reliance on conventional batteries. GaltTec was the only Estonian startup in the NATO DIANA Accelerator’s first batch.
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Originally published on 3 Mar
Read MoreThe Estonian Defence Industry Cluster today introduced the Baltic Drone Wall concept for the first time
The Estonian Defence Industry Cluster today introduced the Baltic Drone Wall concept for the first time, which aims to strengthen the eastern border of the European Union and NATO. It is a cooperation initiative between Poland, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which is currently joined by DefSecIntel Solutions, Rantelon, Marduk Technologies, Lendurai, Hevi Optronics, Frankenburg Technologies and TELEKONTA.
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Originally published on 28 Feb
Read MoreAnalysis Securing critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region
THE EU AND the circum-Baltic states have made progress connecting the region and increasing prosperity, but Russian political warfare—including the destruction of critical infrastructure and assassinations throughout Europe threatens those objectives.
Read MorePoland in final stages of submarine negotiations
Poland is in advanced negotiations with six countries to purchase three new submarines under the long-delayed Orka programme, with a decision expected by early 2025, Polish media report.
The defence ministry is in government-to-government talks with France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and South Korea, evaluating proposals based on submarine capabilities, financing and delivery schedules.
The need to purchase new submarines has been given impetus by mounting concerns over the security of the Baltic Sea following Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine and recent incidents of underwater cables in the Baltic being damaged in suspected acts of sabotage.
In recent weeks, Paweł Bejda, the deputy defence minister, has met with officials in Italy, Germany and Sweden to review offers. Further talks with French representatives are scheduled in the coming weeks, Rzeczpospolita, a Polish news outlet, reported.
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In related news, Sweden, on 13 February, re-launched the HMS Halland, the third of its three Gotland-class submarines to undergo comprehensive mid-life overhauls. The programme began in 2018 and is being used to preview new technology that will be employed in its forthcoming Blekinge-class submarines.
Source: TVP
Modular unmanned ground platforms created in Latvia start operating in Ukraine
A new solution has emerged in Latvia’s defence technology sector: the unmanned ground platform developed by the Latvian startup Natrix is a universal, modular solution that can be adapted for various applications. Currently, the Natrix platform’s primary tasks are delivering ammunition and food to the frontline and on the return journey evacuating the wounded and deceased, thus significantly reducing the risk of casualties for rescuers who previously had to evacuate the injured manually.
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Originally published on 25 Feb
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