Wednesday, June 4, 2025
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Wednesday, June 4, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

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https://nordictimes.com/world/uk-invests-billions-in-new-arms-factories/

World

UK invests billions in new arms factories

The new cold war

Published yesterday 7:13
– By Editorial Staff
BAE Systems, based in the UK, is Europe's largest arms manufacturer, employing more than 83 000 people and producing, among other things, the Challenger tank.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The UK will invest $2 billion in new arms factories as part of a major military buildup, Defense Secretary John Healey announces ahead of the government’s Strategic Defense Review tomorrow.

The investment includes at least six new ammunition and explosives factories, as well as the purchase of over 7,000 domestically produced long-range weapons, including drones and missiles.

– The hard-fought lessons from Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine show a military is only as strong as the industry that stands behind it, said Healey.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer also underlines the need to respond to alleged threats from states with advanced military capabilities – singling out Russia, Iran and North Korea in particular.

– We are being directly threatened by states with advanced military forces, so we must be ready to fight and win, he declares.

The investment is also said to be aimed at stimulating the economy, and will see the UK spend a total of around £6 billion on munitions during the current parliamentary term.

AI to improve decision-making in combat

– We welcome investment in new munitions factories, but we don’t know when they will be ready – only that these orders should have been placed months ago, said James Cartlidge, defense spokesman for the Liberal Conservative opposition.

The UK, one of Ukraine’s most generous funders, has decided to raise its defense budget to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, with a long-term goal of 3% by 2034.

Meanwhile, Moscow warns of rising tensions and accuses former prime minister Boris Johnson of sabotaging the 2022 peace talks and pressuring Ukraine to leave – a claim he denies.

Meanwhile, the UK government has announced it will invest billions in artificial intelligence to improve decision-making on the battlefield and has committed to spending an additional £1.5 billion to improve the country’s military housing.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/denmark/welfare-may-be-sacrificed-as-denmark-ramps-up-military-spending/

Denmark

Welfare may be sacrificed as Denmark ramps up military spending

The new cold war

Published today 13:47
– By Editorial Staff
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has pledged to invest billions of euros in upgrading the country's military forces.
3 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Denmark is preparing to significantly increase its defense spending to meet NATO’s new targets – but the bill will be steep.

According to estimates from Aarhus University, the upgrade will require an additional 90 billion DDK (€12 billion) on top of current levels. The question now is where the money will come from – and what will have to be sacrificed in return.

– This will be something that individual Danes will actually notice, Bo Sandemann Rasmussen, professor of economics at Aarhus University, told TV 2.

After a summit in Vilnius, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced that Denmark is ready to increase its defense spending to 3.5 percent of GDP and allocate an additional 1.5 percent to other security-related activities such as cybersecurity, border protection, and coastal defense.

In total, five percent of the country’s gross domestic product would go to security – more than double the current target of two percent.

But according to the professor, this would require an additional DDK 90 billion (€12 billion) in the budget – money that can hardly be found in the so-called economic reform space.

– It seems increasingly unlikely that we can count on covering 90 billion, he estimates.

Cuts in welfare?

Denmark has already significantly increased its defense spending since the war in Ukraine began, reaching around 2.4 percent of GDP in 2023 – equivalent to €9 billion. But to reach five percent, significantly more is needed – and that will have consequences.

– The population is aging, which requires more resources for public services. If we want to maintain today’s level of service, we will probably need to find new sources of funding, says the economist.

He believes that the political choice now is between cutting public spending or raising taxes, for example by introducing a special war tax.

– It’s hard to see how we wouldn’t need a tax increase to reach 90 billion. After all, it’s a very large sum.

“Other things we can’t afford”

To put the figure into perspective, Denmark spent an equivalent of €21 billion on education and €2 billion on the police in 2023. A €12 billion upgrade is therefore equivalent to six times the entire police budget.

– If the amount is lower than that, it may be more realistic to finance it, but then there are other things we cannot afford, explains Rasmussen.

A formal decision on the new defense targets is expected at the NATO summit in The Hague at the end of June. Until then, the question remains as to which areas of welfare will be cut back – and how much Danish households themselves will have to pay.

Demands from the US

It should be noted that Denmark is not the only NATO country currently spending billions on military buildup – investments that in many places are being financed by cuts in welfare.

The Trump administration is demanding that Europe and Canada take greater “responsibility” for the continent’s defense, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has declared that he wants member countries’ military budgets to amount to approximately five percent of GDP.

– Two percent is a start, as President Trump has Trump has said, but it’s not enough, nor is three percent, nor is four percent. More like five percent, he emphasized earlier this year, calling on NATO countries to make “real investments”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/german-chancellor-aims-to-build-europes-largest-army-may-reinstate-conscription/

Europe

German chancellor aims to build Europe’s largest army – may reinstate conscription

The new cold war

Published 15 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz (CDU).
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Christian Democrats’ new chancellor in Germany, former BlackRock executive Friedrich Merz, has set the tone for his government by declaring the goal of making the Bundeswehr Europe’s strongest army.

In his first speech to the Bundestag, he emphasized the need for increased military spending – and at the same time opened the door to reintroducing conscription in Germany.

When Merz recently took over as Germany’s chancellor, he quickly made it clear that the military is high on his political agenda, according to reports by Euroactiv, among others. In his first speech to the German Bundestag, Merz emphasized that Germany must “take greater responsibility” for Europe’s security and that the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, should become the continent’s most powerful force.

Merz explained that the government is prepared to allocate more resources where he believes Germany can no longer rely on other countries’ military protection.

– The federal government will provide all financial resources that the German Armed Forces need to become the strongest military in Europe in conventional terms, the new chancellor said in his speech.

Borrowed money to finance

To enable the increased defense spending, Merz’s government has decided to reform the so-called debt brake, a rule that previously limited the state’s ability to borrow money.

Easing these restrictions opens the door to significant investments in both equipment and personnel for the Bundeswehr.

Social Democrat Defense Minister Boris Pistorius welcomed the new investments but warned that the biggest bottleneck now is the shortage of soldiers. The Bundeswehr has struggled for several years to fill its ranks, and recruitment has not kept pace with ambitions.

If it is not possible to attract enough volunteers to the armed forces, the reintroduction of conscription may become a possibility – something that the Merz government is now investigating in more detail.

However, the defense spending plans have met with some resistance from critics who argue that increased military spending risks crowding out other important areas of society, such as healthcare, education, and social security. Others warn that rearmament could lead to increased tensions in Europe and that Germany should prioritize diplomacy and cooperation over military spending.

Merz and his government, however, argue that a strong defense force is essential to safeguarding both the country’s security and its independence.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/europe/macron-opens-the-door-to-deploying-french-nuclear-weapons-in-other-eu-countries/

Europe

Macron opens the door to deploying French nuclear weapons in other EU countries

The new cold war

Published 14 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
After the UK's "Brexit", Emmanuel Macron's France is now the only nuclear power in the EU.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

France is prepared to begin discussions with other European countries about deploying French fighter jets armed with nuclear weapons on their territory – similar to what the US already does in certain countries. This was confirmed by President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday.

– The Americans have the bombs on planes in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Turkey, Macron said in an interview with TF1. The US is believed to have around 50 nuclear weapons stored at the Incirlik air base in southern Turkey.

– We are ready to open this discussion. I will define the framework in a very specific way in the weeks and months to come.

Macron also mentioned three conditions for such a step: that France will not pay for the security of other countries, that it will not be at the expense of the country’s own needs, and that the final decision will always rest with the President of the French Republic in his capacity as commander-in-chief.

France is the EU’s only nuclear power, and since the war in Ukraine broke out, there has been growing debate about extending the French nuclear umbrella to include the Union’s partners.

Poland, which like France is a key ally of Ukraine and a growing force within the EU, has already expressed a desire to be covered by the French deterrent.

– There has always been a European dimension in the consideration of what we call vital interests. We do not elaborate on this because ambiguity goes hand in hand with the deterrent, said Macron.

Concerns about nuclear war

Plans to deploy French nuclear weapons in other European countries have raised concerns among experts and security analysts. Critics argue that such a move risks further inflaming tensions between NATO and Russia and could be perceived as a strategic escalation rather than defensive protection.

In the long run, there are fears that it could contribute to increased militarization and raise the risk of misunderstandings or misjudgments that could, in the worst case, lead to a large-scale nuclear conflict in Europe with devastating consequences – something that several analysts have warned about since the war in Ukraine broke out.

Others are more positive and argue that European countries must face the harsh reality that the major powers already have extensive nuclear arsenals that they have no plans to give up, and that deterrence with their own nuclear weapons is not only necessary but also the most effective way to prevent future attacks.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, France currently has just under 300 nuclear weapons, compared to Russia’s approximately 5,900 and the US’s 5,300. However, it is emphasized that these are qualified estimates and that there is rarely any public data on countries’ nuclear arsenals.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/world/lithuanian-ex-president-no-need-to-fear-russias-nuclear-weapons/

World

Lithuanian ex-president: “No need to fear Russia’s nuclear weapons”

The new cold war

Published 14 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Dalia Grybauskaité was one of the voices calling for NATO to attack Russia as early as 2022.
2 minute read
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Lithuania’s former president Dalia Grybauskaité rejects Vladimir Putin’s proposal for peace talks with Ukraine as disingenuous, claiming that it is merely a tactical maneuver aimed at buying time.

Despite widespread concerns that the war will escalate into a large-scale European nuclear conflict, Grybauskaité argues that the threat of weapons of mass destruction is greatly exaggerated and asserts that “there is no reason to fear nuclear weapons”.

– I believe these are games for the time being, an attempt to stall for time, an attempt to shift the blame to the Ukrainian side, but in fact they are stalling for time and are unwilling to end the war now, at least in the near future as they want to occupy as much of Ukraine as possible, the former president said in a press statement on Monday.

Her statement came after four European leaders visited Kiev over the weekend and appealed for a temporary ceasefire as a basis for peace talks. Putin responded with a counterproposal for direct negotiations in Istanbul – an initiative that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has shown some openness to, but only after a ceasefire is in place.

Most notable, however, was how Grybauskaité downplayed the risk of nuclear weapons being used in the conflict – describing Russian nuclear deterrence as “an obsolete doctrine” and claiming that weapons of mass destruction should no longer be considered a relevant threat in modern warfare.

– Nuclear deterrence was effective after World War Two, during the Cold War, but not now. No umbrella will help because now we have completely different weapons, a completely different nature of war. Nuclear weapons will not scare anybody.

“An obsolete instrument”

As recently as November, Russia updated its nuclear doctrine and opened the door to using tactical nuclear weapons in response to large-scale conventional military attacks – a move that has led to increased concern in several European capitals.

Despite this, Grybauskaité tried to downplay fears of nuclear weapons as completely unfounded – and instead turned the threat back on Moscow:

– There is no need to fear and there is no need to pay attention as it is an obsolete instrument and there is nothing to fear. The Russians may be afraid of nuclear weapons themselves, so let them be afraid.

It should be noted that Dalia Grybauskaité has long been one of the most vocal advocates in Europe for a more confrontational line toward Russia. Throughout the war in Ukraine, she has repeatedly criticized the West’s stance in the conflict and called for more direct military involvement from NATO – including attacks on Russian targets. According to Grybauskaité, the only way to stop Putin is to meet him with military force, not diplomacy.

“War can only be stopped by a war”, she has declared, arguing that “if we do not stop Putin in Ukraine, we will still have to fight a war, but in our countries”.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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