European union

ESA leaders greenlight $1.6 billion for new ‘non-aggressive’ space security initiative

ESA's ruling Council of Ministers approved a whopping $25.7B in funds over the next three years — a 32 percent increase over the previous three-year budget.

Germany’s first space security strategy aims at independent defensive, offensive capabilities

The new strategy calls on German MoD to develop a number of new space-based capabilities, including "effectors" to counter adversary threats on orbit such as agile spaceplanes and "bodyguard" satellites with shoot-back systems.

US slams ‘discriminatory’ draft EU space law as imperiling NATO cooperation

The State Department's damning critique argues that, if enacted, the draft law would imperil cooperation on "space weather, remote sensing, space exploration, spaceflight safety, space debris mitigation and remediation, [and] communications."

In historic shift, ESA poised to take on defense role

Since its founding 50 years ago, the European Space Agency has shunned involvement in military space activities.

Europe’s strategic autonomy push fuels space mega-merger

"Project Bromo is a sovereignty play," Caleb Henry, research director at Quilty Space, told Breaking Defense.

European Council vows to ‘deliver at pace’ defense readiness roadmap 2030

The long term defense readiness project also calls for 40 percent, at minimum, of European Union defense acquisitions to be carried out on a joint procurement basis by the close of 2027.

EU to spend ‘hundreds of billions’ on US arms? Maybe not but demand is real, analysts say

Analyst Max Bergmann told Breaking Defense that if President Donald Trump's claim is to be taken literally, “there's a lot of work that has to be done” in budgeting terms by individual nations.

EU and UK agree on defense deal, ‘second step’ needed to secure access to $169B in funds

The “United Kingdom and the European Commission should swiftly explore any possibilities for mutually beneficial enhanced cooperation created by the SAFE instrument, once adopted, in accordance with their respective legal frameworks,” states a UK-EU "Common Understanding" document.

Amazon launches first 27 operational Kuiper satellites to compete with Starlink

There are a lot of hopes within DoD and the Space Force for Project Kuiper's success, with officials seeing the constellation as offering diversity beyond Starlink in the supplier base for so-called proliferated LEO services.

Spain launches $12 billion defense plan to meet NATO’s 2 percent GDP spending target

Spain has historically lagged in defense spending relative to nearly all other NATO nations, but that could change with a high-dollar and wide-ranging build-up.

Playing it SAFE? New EU spending plan leaves US out in the cold

“SAFE will allow Member States to immediately and massively scale up their defence investments through common procurement from the European defence industry, focusing on priority capabilities," a statement from the European Commission reads.

Italy’s Leonardo forecasts $6.6 billion ‘upside’ from new wave of European defense spending

To deal with the changing geopolitical landscape, Cingolani called for "stronger alliances" and "industrial synergies."

EU space monitoring program moves toward ‘strategic autonomy’

Many of the sensors contributed by the 15 EU SST participating states are military assets, and the European Defence Fund also is being tapped to help foster commercial innovation in the space situational awareness domain.

‘Europe’s moment:’ EU unveils $843B ‘ReArm Europe’ spending plan, as US-Ukraine relations flail

"We are in an era of rearmament," said Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President. "And Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending.”