Six Deep Draft River Operation Boats (Bofbc) were delivered by the Colombian shipyard Cotecmar to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), thus concluding an important naval export contract developed by the Colombian industry for this country. The delivery of the last two vessels took place at the Coast Guard Command facilities in Georgetown, where the final reception of the units was formalized. The programme included the design and construction of the boats, acceptance tests, technology transfer and training of the crews responsible for operating them. As part of their incorporation into the service, Cotecmar specialists carried out operational acceptance tests and training of GDF personnel. During these activities, they checked the performance of the platforms under real conditions of use and transferred the technical knowledge necessary for their operation, maintenance and maintenance, in order to accelerate the acquisition of initial operational capacity. The closure of the project was also formalized in a ceremony led by the president of Cotecmar, Rear Admiral Walter Wilches, and the Guyanese Chief of Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan. Both signed the final delivery document for the six units. With the signing, the parties fulfilled the contract and reaffirmed bilateral cooperation in the field of defense and naval industry.

The new structure will be made up of the National Police, Senan, Senafront and SUME and will depend on the Ministry of Public Security Panama's Ministry of Public Security has created a joint command, made up of the different components of the national security forces, to ensure the security of seven specific areas of the Panama Canal, including critical and vital infrastructures for its operation. The so-called Joint Command for Security in the Specific Areas of the Panama Canal (CCSCP) has its origin in the signing of the Framework Agreement for Surveillance, Security and Protection Services of Specific Areas of the Panama Canal, signed between the Ministry of Public Security and the Panama Canal Authority (ACP). The agency will be made up of the National Police, the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the National Border Service (Senafront) and the Unified System for Pre-hospital Emergency Management (SUME) and will operate under the Ministry of Public Security. The responsibilities of the new agency include securing and protecting critical and vital infrastructures linked to the operation of the Panama Canal that are located in the seven specific areas under the competence or administration of the ACP and identified in the Framework Agreement. In addition, it must develop permanent processes for the collection, analysis and production of intelligence to identify risks and threats. The main mission of the new command will be to plan, coordinate, direct and execute comprehensive security, prevention, control and protection operations in the watersheds of the Panama Canal and in the strategic areas established in the Framework Agreement. Among the arguments for creating the joint command is the need to articulate an integrated response of Panamanian security institutions to threats of a climate, environmental, cyber, social and transnational nature.  

The Army has declared void the tender with a budget of 2.2 million euros - including taxes - for the supply of fire configurators for the programmable ammunition of the Leopard 2E battle tanks, a particularly sensitive contract because it is initially linked to Israeli technology. The procedure, which began in May of this year, concludes without an award despite the fact that a company participated in the tender. According to the documentation in the file, the only proposal received corresponded to Fabricaciones Militares de Granada (FMG), which was finally excluded after not submitting the economic offer. The tender, promoted by the Army Logistics Support Command (MALE), included the supply of firing configurators for 120 mm battle tanks and expressly included the acquisition of 246 units of the M339 Setter Setter 120 mm Fuze, a system developed by the Israeli IMI Systems, currently integrated into the Elbit Systems group. and associated with the M339 family of ammunition developed by that firm, in service with the Army. The programmer acts as an electronic interface installed on the tank that allows the projectile fuse to be configured before firing. With this device, the munition can select different modes of operation, such as impact detonation, delayed explosion after penetrating an obstacle or airburst, increasing its effectiveness against protected infantry, fortified positions or drones.

Taiwan's cabinet will propose a 16% annual rise in defence ‌spending for 2027 which will for the first time exceed T$1 trillion ($31 billion), the official Central News Agency reported on Sunday, as Taipei bolsters its military. The move will come as China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own ​territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past few years to assert ​its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects. But Taiwan also faces calls from Washington to ⁠spend more on its own defence, mirroring pressure from the United States on Europe, something President ​Lai Ching-te has enthusiastically embraced. The proposed budget of more than T$1.1 trillion, to be unveiled on August 20, ​includes funding for the coast guard, veterans and special projects, and will - like this year - exceed 3% of gross domestic product, the Central News Agency said. Detailed figures await the final cabinet meeting, it added. Taiwan's government has made military modernisation ​a key policy platform and has repeatedly pledged to spend more on its defences, including developing ​made-in-Taiwan submarines, given the rising threat from China. China's military operates almost daily around Taiwan, and holds periodic war games, the ‌last ⁠in late December. China is also rapidly modernising its armed forces, with new aircraft carriers, stealth fighter jets and missiles. In March, China unveiled a rise of 7% in this year's defence spending, to 1.91 trillion yuan ($283.08 billion). China refuses to talk to Lai, saying he is a "separatist". He says only Taiwan's people can decide ​their future. Taiwan is currently in ​the middle of ⁠its annual Han Kuang military exercises. Watching drills in the northern city of Taoyuan on Sunday, Lai said every exercise was an accumulation of experience giving the military ​greater confidence. "Every bit of solid preparation in peacetime adds another measure of ​stability and strength ⁠for our nation," he said, in comments posted on his Facebook account. On Taiwan's east coast on Sunday, the military also carried out a nuclear, biological and chemical decontamination drill, simulating a chemical weapons attack. Soldiers, tanks ⁠and armoured ​vehicles were decontaminated and disinfected in a drill aimed at ​testing the ability to respond quickly to such an event and get personnel and equipment back out to the front lines as ​soon as possible.

Among the main commitments are payments for the purchase of four A-29 Super Tucano and two C-295 Panama to receive four Embraer A29 Super Tucano Panama's Ministry of Public Security would receive an additional $116.5 million in 2027, an increase of 11.8% from the $985 million budgeted for this year. If the project is approved, the allocation would reach $1,101.5 million. This allocation is part of the draft General State Budget for 2027, which amounts to a total of 35,111.75 million dollars and could soon be approved by the Legislative Branch. The project includes funds for the Ministry of Public Security to meet the State's financial commitments, including the payments provided for in the multi-year contract for the acquisition of four A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, from the Brazilian company Embraer. The purchase of these aircraft was adjusted last year to $76.3 million due to the extension of the payment term and the corresponding interest. In addition to this operation, there are other acquisitions that could require funds from the 2027 budget: at least six Bell 407GXi helicopters, whose contract was signed in January of this year for more than 10 million dollars; and two C-295 transport and cargo aircraft, ordered from Airbus for about 109 million dollars.

The US State Department has approved a $270-million foreign military sale of its homegrown M795 155mm high explosive (HE) projectiles to Norway. The potential deal incorporates technical services and documentation, logistics, and other elements supporting the acquisition. Washington said that the proposed sale will be used to amplify the Norwegian Armed Forces’ artillery and mid-range firepower, and assured the NATO military will have no difficulty adopting the capability. It added that the package will address current and future threats without altering the basic military balance in Europe. According to officials, the procurement also supports America’s broader foreign policy and national security objectives by enhancing the security of an ally playing a key role in maintaining stability and economic progress across Europe. Work for the contract will be facilitated by American Ordinance in Iowa and General Dynamics in Arizona. The M795 is a 103-pound (47-pound) high-fragmentation steel weapon developed by the US Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center for use across towed and self-propelled howitzers. Following its introduction in the 1980s, the projectile received modifications to address modern threats for ground forces. Its latest iteration, the M795 HE, uses a 24-pound (11-kilogram) TNT or IMX-101 warhead to effectively neutralize enemy personnel, heavy vehicles, electronic surveillance, targeting and communications infrastructure, supply zones, and installations.  

On August 7, 2026, India's Ministry of Defence confirmed in a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence report in New Delhi that it has initiated concerted efforts to join the French-led Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation fighter program. The decision aims to secure advanced sixth-generation capabilities, including combat-cloud networking and collaborative unmanned systems, while addressing a deficit of 13 fighter squadrons in the Indian Air Force. This strategic alignment follows the termination of joint Franco-German fighter development in June 2026, opening co-development and industrial opportunities for New Delhi alongside its domestic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) fifth-generation program.   The Indian Air Force operates 29 active fighter squadrons against an authorized strength of 42, with 110 to 120 Jaguar fighters scheduled for retirement between 2028 and the mid-2030s. To prevent force contraction while transitioning to fifth- and sixth-generation platforms, India is evaluating a 114-aircraft Rafale procurement alongside indigenous AMCA development and potential FCAS subsystem integration.   On August 7, 2026, India officially confirmed in its 25th Defence Committee report that the Ministry of Defence had initiated concerted efforts to co-join the French-led Future Combat Air System (FCAS) sixth-generation fighter programme, after a general examination of both FCAS and GCAP. This comes as the Indian Air Force possesses a deficit of 13 fighter squadrons, or 31% of the authorized 42 squadrons, which means India is considering a sixth-generation programme while still struggling to replace jets already scheduled to retire before 2035. New Delhi is simultaneously sustaining 110-120 Jaguars, operating 36 IAF Rafales, expanding Tejas production, funding its indigenous fifth-generation AMCA fighter and negotiating a 114-aircraft Rafale package with France.      

The US Coast Guard (USCG) has sought information on fixed-site and vessel-mounted laser-based directed energy systems capable of countering a range of maritime threats, including those posed by uncrewed systems. Directed energy systems convert chemical or electrical energy into focused electromagnetic energy that can physically damage, degrade, or destroy a target. These include high-energy lasers (HEL), which use focused beams of light to damage targets physically, and high-power microwave (HPM) systems, which use electromagnetic energy to disrupt or damage electronic systems. According to the request for information, the USCG is interested in systems or effectors that use HEL or comparable laser technology to incapacitate targets of interest in the maritime environment. The proposed system should be capable of engaging uncrewed surface and aerial systems and be suitable for installation on fixed and mobile platforms such as piers, cutters, and small boats. To Overcome Challenges Directed energy weapons offer rapid engagement, a low cost per shot, and a deep magazine limited primarily by available power. However, beam control, thermal management, and size, weight, and power constraints continue to complicate development, while atmospheric conditions can limit range and effectiveness. The request noted that the harsh maritime environment may require systems to be designed to withstand shock, vibration, sea spray, and airborne particulates, including smoke and fuel exhaust.  

Open-source investigators have confirmed two drone strikes in northern Mali involving Shahed-136-type loitering munitions in the villages of Tuareg Inafarak and Talahandak, near the Algerian border. The findings come from an investigation by Bellingcat and Jeune Afrique, which analyzed social media footage, high-resolution satellite imagery, geolocation data, and expert assessments. Investigators matched videos posted online with satellite imagery captured after the attacks, confirming the locations and damage. Analysts identified the remains of what appeared to be an MD-550 piston engine, a component widely associated with the Shahed system. The Shahed-136 is license produced by Russian JSC Alabuga. The drone  is a long-range one-way attack type originally developed in Iran.

American Rheinmetall won an 18-month contract to develop hybrid-powered unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in support of the US Army’s frontline tactical resupply missions. The effort will produce robotic platforms capable of transporting cargo to forward troops, reducing soldiers’ exposure to enemy fire and other battlefield hazards during logistics operations. To deliver the capability, the company is partnering with several commercial firms, including California-based Harbinger, which will provide a military-adapted, extended-range hybrid chassis offering over 500 miles (805 kilometers) of range and 350 kilowatts of exportable power.