As the French armed forces take on new overseas contingencies, the defense ministry battles budget challenges on the homefront.

Overall, European Union defense spending has been declining in real terms for eight years, despite an increasingly bellicose Russia

Russia is determined to continue to strengthen the military, which it exploits for foreign policy goals and internal propaganda, however shrinking budgets—due to soft oil prices and a slumping national currency—have cast uncertainty on these plans.

Germany’s long-term plan is to reach the NATO goal of spending 2% of gross national product on defense; in the short to medium term it will concentrate on using available funding more efficiently.

Diverse technology leaps are abounding; Aviation Week outlines nine of particular interest.

UCAV similarities are a result of an emphasis on stealth with long range and endurance.

Sweden and Poland have notably stepped up their defense plans, but almost all of the European nations are boosting defense capabilities in light of aggressive actions in Russia

South Korea ups its defense funding request to guard against North Korea’s nuclear-weapons stock and begins budgeting for the 2025 launch of the KF-X.