German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius’ recent declaration that his country should prepare for the possibility of actual warfare evidently discomfited many citizens. His use of “kriegstüchtig,” an adjective which falls somewhere between becoming “war-capable” and “war-proficient” in his ministry’s policy, nomenclature, has been rejected as warmongering or evidence of the lack of a more pronounced defensive focus.

The Defense Department is warning that U.S. industry is struggling to stay ahead of competitors such as China in the high technology arms race. “It does not possess the capacity, capability, responsiveness, or resilience required to satisfy the full range of military production needs at speed and scale,” the DoD says in the document dated November 27. “Just as significantly, the traditional defense contractors […] would be challenged to respond to modern conflict at the velocity, scale, and flexibility necessary to meet the dynamic requirements of a major modern conflict.”

NATO and EU member Estonia’s undersecretary for defence policy worries that some European states’ internal politics threaten commitments to supply Ukraine with more howitzer ammunition. “We are constantly pushing different nations to not give up because the timeline of deliveries is next March,” Tuuli Duneton says. “I wouldn’t say I am entirely pessimistic […] but lot remains to be done.”

Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder has disclosed that her country plans to join France, Germany and Spain next July in developing a six-generation fighter through their Future Combat Air System project. Until then, Belgium will have observer status as of January.