The European Union (EU) plans to ban the import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) a year earlier than planned, EU officials said in announcing another package of sanctions against Moscow for its war against Ukraine. “It is time to turn off the tap,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “Russia’s war economy is sustained by revenues from fossil fuels. We want to cut these revenues,” von der Leyen said September 19, 2025, as she announced the proposal, which requires unanimous approval from EU governments. “So we are banning imports of Russian LNG into European markets.” European Commission Vice President and foreign policy…
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Denmark denounced Russian aggression, and NATO allies quickly responded after repeated unmanned aerial systems (UAS) incursions into Danish territory closed the country’s airports and disrupted commercial activity in September 2025. The drone activity drew sharp condemnation from NATO leaders as the incidents occurred soon after Denmark announced it was making a large purchase of long-range precision weapons. Denmark’s government leaders, although lacking definitive proof, said they strongly believe Russia is behind the “hybrid attacks,” a pattern that has been repeated in other Nordic and Baltic countries since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the resulting sanctions and international isolation experienced…
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomed Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty to the Pentagon on September 22 for discussions on the nations’ long-standing defense relationship and close military-to-military cooperation. “Defending North America remains our top priority,” McGuinty said on his first visit to Washington as defense minister. Canada is one of the United States’ closest defense partners, and both nations share responsibility for defending the continent through the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the only binational military command in the world. “Our great nations have served together in many wars. … And today our warfighters continue that, serving together through…
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) celebrated its 60th anniversary in September 2025, honoring retired veterans as it launched a public education campaign to raise awareness of the unit’s importance to the Atlantic island’s security and resilience. “Our 60th anniversary year is a year of opportunity,” said Lt. Col. Duncan Simons, the RBR’s commanding officer, according to the Royal Gazette, a Bermuda newspaper. “Not only is this year an opportunity to draw attention to the regiment as we celebrate this milestone but it also presents an opportunity for the National Security and Defence Review, which will soon commence.” Simons told the…
Norway has put new hurdles on uninsured and underinsured oil tankers passing through its waters, the government announced in August. Under the new rules, which are mostly aimed at a “shadow fleet” of ships transporting Russian crude oil, the Norwegian Coastal Administration will approach foreign-registered oil tankers entering Norway’s 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone and request proof that they are properly insured. There are no mandatory penalties if crews aboard the ships choose not to comply or are found to have inadequate coverage, the High North News website reported. The new regulation will be tested for six months, and then it will be…
Denmark has been ramping up defense spending quickly as Russia’s war in Ukraine grinds toward its fifth year. As Moscow repeatedly violated NATO airspace in September 2025, concerning moves reminiscent of Russia’s initial 2014 invasion of Ukrainian territory, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced Copenhagen would buy long-range precision weapons capable of hitting targets in enemy territory. Frederiksen said the decision to buy such weapon systems was prompted by Russian aggression in Ukraine and elsewhere. “There is no doubt that Russia will be a threat to Europe and Denmark for years to come,” Frederiksen told reporters on September 17, according…
United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) hosted the second annual demonstration of counter small, unmanned surveillance systems (c-sUAS), known as Falcon Peak, and demonstrated the substantial progress made by defense contractors in meeting the challenge of defending the U.S. from hostile UAS activity. Counterdrone technology shot down U.S. Special Forces-provided target drones that mimicked the latest in battlefield innovation. The September 2025 event was at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. In one media demonstration, crews launched a “hostile” drone from Santa Rosa Island before an interceptor drone captured it with a net fired from a shotgun. Twenty anti-drone systems were tested…
The U.S. Army is sending Soldiers with the 101st Airborne Division and other units to the U.S.-Mexico border this fall to provide enhanced sustainment, engineering, communications and operational capabilities in support of Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB). They will replace other units in the region, where about 7,600 Soldiers are deployed to control the border and guard the territorial integrity of the United States, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) said. An Army news release, issued September 2, said the new deployments will include: The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Headquarters to replace the 10th Mountain Division Headquarters The 10th Combat Aviation…
In five incidents over five weeks, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked Russian aircraft operating in the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in July and August 2025. The Russian aircraft included two Tupolev Tu-95 Bear strategic bombers, two Sukhoi Su-35 Flanker fighter jets and four Ilyushin Il-20 Coot spy planes, Stars and Stripes newspaper reported. In the first incident, on July 22, NORAD scrambled six fighter jets — two F-35 Lightning IIs and four F-16 Fighting Falcons — to intercept, identify and monitor the two Tu-95 bombers and a pair of Su-35 fighter jets near the Bering…
A United States aircraft carrier group trained with NATO forces for several weeks in August and September 2025, highlighting a continued effort to integrate tactics, lines of communication and improve joint capabilities in the Arctic. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest U.S. aircraft carrier, accompanied by destroyers and a guided-missile destroyer, trained with Norwegian naval and air forces in Norwegian waters. The multiweek exercise marked the third consecutive year that a U.S. aircraft carrier group has deployed to the region. “What we’re doing is a building block on the last years of our U.S. Carrier Strike Groups’ work off…