Andrew MacDonald

A British soldier holding a one-way effector UAV named “Bolt” during Exercise Northern Star in Finland on 25 May 2026. (MoD/Crown Copyright) The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) published its long-delayed Defence Investment Plan (DIP) on 30 June 2026. It outlines a profile of spending across the four financial years from 2026/27 to 2029/30.

Asia-Pacific defence spending between 2025 and 2035 is forecast by Janes Defence Budgets to increase by nearly 40% and grow to the equivalent of more than USD880 billion. (Janes Defence Budgets) More than three years after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine plunged Europe's security environment into a period of turbulence, the beginning of Donald Trump's second term as president of the United States has demonstrated the major transformation under way in the Asia-Pacific's security affairs.

by Jon Grevatt & Andrew MacDonald The cut in New Zealand's 2024–25 military expenditure is one of the deepest in the country's annual defence spending since the start of Janes Defence Budgets records in 2005. (Janes Defence Budgets) New Zealand has announced a 2024–25 defence budget of NZD5.88 billion (USD3.60 billion), a decline of about 20% against the final budgeted expenditure of NZD7.37 billion in 2023–24.