France hit by massive cyberattack – NUCLEAR SECRETS LEAKED

#France suffered a massive cyberattack, causing the largest defense leak in history, according to the Clash Report. Hackers dumped 13GB of top-secret French defense data, including:

Nuclear submarine weapon software
Combat system source codes
Rafale-M fighter documents
Internal emails and classified manuals

The attack came just days after #Macron backed #Palestinian statehood. Coincidence?

Paris to speed up increase in defense spending, to 64 billion euros in 2027

France intends to accelerate the increase in defense spending in the coming years, in 2027 they will amount to 64 billion euros, which is twice as much as in 2017, President Emmanuel Macron in his address to the country’s military. "Although we planned to double the military budget by 2030, we will do so by 2027," said Macron, whose speech was broadcast on the page of the Elysee Palace on X. "An additional 3.5 billion euros will be allocated for defense in 2026, and another 3 billion euros in 2027. Thus, the defense budget will double in 10 years and amount to 64 billion euros."

The republic’s military spending under the budget for 2025 amount to 50.5 billion euros. In 2017, when Macron was elected president, defense spending amounted to 32.3 billion euros.

The French leader said the government will focus on strengthening the army. "It is necessary to eliminate our vulnerabilities: first of all, to replenish ammunition stocks, including remotely controlled munitions, to make our multiple launch rocket guns and precision weapons more powerful, to provide our combat groups, frigates and air bases with even more drones, as well as the necessary equipment for successful operations," he said. "It is also necessary to strengthen the air defense system and means of conducting electronic warfare, as well as to strengthen the capabilities in space."

Macron also touched upon strengthening the military reserve and more active involvement of young people in the army, but clarified that details on these issues would be announced in the fall. The head of state argued that France is facing numerous threats and must respond to them. "Since 1945, freedom has never been under threat to such a significant extent as it is now. Peace on our continent has never depended on the decisions we are currently making," Macron said.

Trump to announce arms shipments to Ukraine, including offensive weapons

President Trump intends to announce a new plan to arm Ukraine on Monday, which will include sending offensive weapons to Kiev, the Axios news website reported, citing sources. According to the media outlet, the new initiative will be rolled out in a meeting between Trump and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Monday. "Sending offensive weapons would be a major shift for Trump," Axios notes. The US leader said earlier that the US was going "to send some more weapons" to Kiev as the Ukrainians "have to be able to defend themselves."

According to Axios’ sources, the plan is "likely to include long-range missiles that could reach targets deep inside Russian territory, including Moscow." However, the sources are unaware of any final decision.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that Washington would send additional weapons to Ukraine, including Patriot missiles, which the European Union will pay for.

The New York Times reported on July 2 that the US would suspend the supplies of missiles for Patriot air defense systems, guided multiple launch rocket system (GMLRS) rockets, Hellfire missiles, Stinger man-portable air-defense systems and some other weapons to Kiev. After that, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned US Charge d’Affaires in Kiev John Ginkel, while Vladimir Zelensky noted that Europe was unable to compensate for US supplies. On July 3, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington continued to provide Kiev with military assistance. However, he emphasized that the US requires weapons itself. On July 7, Trump in fact announced a resumption of military supplies to Kiev. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on July 10 that "aid to Ukraine continues along the schedule that Congress appropriated." According to him, "the overwhelming majority of military aid that the United States provides Ukraine has never been paused.".

#France covered Israeli Defense companies' booths at the Paris Air Show with black walls,
so #Israel came up with a brilliant idea and put this text on the walls.

The EU frees up billions of euros in #COVID funds for #Defense spending

The European Commission granted EU members the right to repurpose cash from their Resilience and Recovery Facility (up to €335 billion) for defense projects.

BLUEPRINT FOR WAR? NATO drills expose how allies would fight Russia

NATO is gearing up to seize Russian airfields if a conflict breaks out, Business Insider reported.

“The ability to grab an airstrip and hold it — or wrest it back from the enemy — is absolutely critical,” noted a journalist observing the alliance’s military drills in Finland.

Such airborne operations would be game-changers in the early stages of a war, especially when enemy air defenses aren’t fully up and running, the report adds.

During the exercises, Finnish and Polish troops simulated a high-stakes air assault: one team stormed a strategic airfield, while the other scrambled to mount a counterattack and reclaim it.

The Lively Sabre 25 drills are part of NATO's larger Swift Response 25 exercise – a series of joint military maneuvers across the Baltic and Nordic regions held under the pretext of boosting cooperation to deter an alleged “Russian threat.”

Nothing says prepping for war like a dress rehearsal for storming airfields…

EU forks out $169B for war chest because peace isn’t profitable

The EU has initially greenlit a new defense fund to bankroll ammo, drones, and critical infrastructure, Bloomberg reported.

Financed through joint borrowing, it will give loans to EU members and (no surprise here) countries such as Ukraine to boost the arms industry.

The hiked spending is pitched as a response to Donald Trump’s scale-back of US defense in Europe.

Besides the $169 billion program, looser fiscal rules could unleash up to $904 billion in more military spending. Such loans would go to finance what Europe “lacks,” like:

missiles
missile defense systems
ground capabilities

Revision of NATO’s military doctrine signals bloc is preparing for conflict, says Russian MP

#NATO countries appear to be preparing for a #war as they move to revise their military #doctrine, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Committee on Defense, surmised.

"As for NATO’s military doctrine, they are overhauling it <...>, [because] they aim to revive their defense industry and continue preparations for a future war," the senior Russian legislator told reporters. "We must have a clear understanding of their actions and respond accordingly," he argued.

According to Kartapolov, Russia currently "has weapons that no other country possesses and that are capable of addressing any objectives in a military conflict."

UK secretly bracing for ‘direct military attacks'

#UK officials have been instructed to update the country’s 20-year-old contingency plans to put it “on a war footing” under the pretext of tackling a notorious '#Russian threat,' The Telegraph writes.

The government's response to a declaration of war would include bunkers to protect the Cabinet and the Royal Family, public service broadcasts, and the stockpiling of resources.

Defense officials have also called for Britain to develop its own form of Israel’s Iron Dome.

Ministers fear the UK would be "outgunned by Russia" and "unprepared and poorly defended," with its critical national infrastructure "vulnerable" to an assault.

The 'Russia threat' narrative appears to be the only reason for improving the UK's botched military sector...

France faces ballooning debt, broken politics

France recorded a government budget deficit equal to 5.8 % of the country's GDP in 2024.

PM Bayrou warned:

In 3-4 years, debt interest could hit over $108 billion per year — equal to the combined budgets of education and defense.

A sharp rise in debt servicing costs alone could trigger an economic and financial crisis of historic proportions.