Defense Briefing

Following an Iranian surprise attack on US military bases in Jordan, Washington has launched a massively intensified wave of strikes – according to US officials 'twice as large as all previous strikes'. Targets were cities in the southern Iranian region, including Abadan and Ahvaz. With this, the fragile ceasefire pause is definitively broken and the conflict reaches a new level of escalation.

At the NATO summit in Ankara, members committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035; already by 2026 five allies will meet the 3.5% interim target. For the first time, ATACMS missiles will be produced outside the USA – in a new Rheinmetall/Lockheed facility in Germany. In parallel, uncertainty grows over US troop presence as the Pentagon has launched a strategic review of its European footprint.

Leading European governments are discussing for the first time in decades seriously deploying their own armed forces in the Arctic – specifically in Greenland – to deter a possible US intervention. The move would fundamentally strain transatlantic relations and signals that Europe intends to defend its sovereignty interests if necessary even against NATO partner USA. This would be a precedent that structurally challenges NATO's alliance framework.

Denmark extends military service to 11 months and fully integrates women into conscription – a paradigm shift within NATO. The move is a response to the heightened security situation and is intended to significantly increase the operational readiness of the armed forces. Together with Sweden's defense minister, who demands Ukraine's immediate NATO membership, signals are mounting of comprehensive militarization of Northern Europe.

In a coordinated cyberattack on July 26/27, 2026, over 30 water utilities in Minnesota were compromised; in the city of Braham, well and wastewater facilities were directly manipulated. CISA classifies the attack as part of an escalation wave by Iran-affiliated actors running parallel to kinetic attacks on US infrastructure. This represents a new qualitative leap compared to known PLC exploits: for the first time, physical drinking water supply systems were taken offline simultaneously on a large scale.