“current obstacles to swift movement include lengthy and fragmented administrative processes to carry war materiel across borders; inadequate infrastructure — including bridges and tunnels — to move armored vehicles; and a lack of transport capacity such as rail cars.
In May, EU foreign ministers urged capitals to implement the bloc’s Military Mobility Pledge, which includes commitments to invest in infrastructure and to ensure prioritized access to road, rail and other transport methods for armed forces.
In June, France announced it would join an agreement already signed by Poland, Germany and the Netherlands to create a military transit corridor. In July, Greece, Bulgaria and Romania signed a letter of intent for cross-border military mobility cooperation.
The French army painfully realized how difficult it was to cross Europe in the spring of 2022, when it deployed a battalion to Romania in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
“Bradleys, like most of Ukraine’s equipment, are targets for Russian drones.
Drones have been used more in this war than in any other conflict in history, with both sides using them to take out equipment and soldiers and to gather intelligence to direct more powerful weaponry.
The prevalence of drones, where sometimes dozens of drones can go after one target, means battlefield tactics constantly have to adapt — including ways to protect high-value tanks and armored vehicles.
That means new types of shielding are being tried and tested in this war, including improvised armor on tanks and nets designed to trap drones.”
“European industry — and Germany first and foremost — was battered by the surge in energy prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The bloc rode out the immediate emergency better than expected, finding alternatives to Russian gas, for example, through imports of U.S. liquefied natural gas.
But the hope that European industry would swiftly recover has faded, even as the eurozone economy in the aggregate returns to growth.
Eurostat’s industrial production index for the eurozone remains below its 2021 level, and is trending lower. And policymakers are starting to realize that the turnaround they had expected is not materializing.”
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“The numbers underline the challenge of maintaining Europe’s competitiveness — and relevance — as China and the U.S. race to reshape the global economy within the context of an increasingly acute geopolitical rivalry.”
“Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Sunday launched their heaviest exchange of fire after months of strikes and counterstrikes that have raised fears of an all-out war.
By mid-morning, the exchange of fire had ended, with both sides saying they had only aimed at military targets. The Israeli strikes killed three militants in Lebanon, and Israel’s military said a soldier was killed by either an interceptor of incoming fire or shrapnel from one. But the situation remained tense.”
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“Israel said around 100 warplanes launched airstrikes targeting thousands of rocket launchers across southern Lebanon to thwart an imminent Hezbollah attack. Hezbollah said it launched hundreds of rockets and drones aimed at military bases and missile defense positions in northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights.
Hezbollah called the attack an initial response to the targeted killing of one of its founding members and top commanders, Fouad Shukur, in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month. It said its military operations for Sunday were concluded, but Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said they will “reserve the right to respond at a later time” if the results of Sunday’s attack aimed at a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv aren’t sufficient.
Israel’s military said its intelligence base near Tel Aviv wasn’t hit. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an Israeli military spokesman, said an initial assessment showed “very little damage” in Israel.”