GlobalSecurity.org

21.05.2026 14:20 Iran's Industry, Mines, and Trade Ministry has for the first time permitted the import of some raw materials related to the petrochemical and polymer sectors through sailor and courier procedures.

21.05.2026 14:20 The US Central Command announced that US military forces boarded the Iranian-flagged commercial tanker M/T Celestial Sea in the Sea of Oman on May 20.

21.05.2026 14:20 A Congressional Research Service report released on May 13 provides the first official US government accounting of aircraft losses during Operation Epic Fury, documenting 42 airframes lost or damaged since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.

21.05.2026 14:20 During a panel today on the lethality of artificial intelligence as it relates to special operations forces, Emil Michael, undersecretary of war for research and engineering and War Department chief technology officer, said that AI use across the department is up by roughly 1,420,000 users, a 1,775% increase over the past calendar year.

21.05.2026 14:20 Last year at this time, the War Department identified 14 technology areas as priorities. Since then, that list has been pared down to a more realistic, warfighter-focused set of goals, the department's chief technology officer said.

21.05.2026 14:20 Senior military special operations forces leaders from the U.S., Sweden and the Philippines participated in a morning panel today about the importance of SOF partnerships and alliances, as part of Special Operations Forces Week 2026 in Tampa, Florida.

21.05.2026 14:20 U.S. Navy divers assigned to Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 1 concluded Salvage Exercise Korea 2026 alongside Australian maritime forces and Republic of Korea forces at Jinhae Naval Base, April 6-10, 2026.

21.05.2026 14:20 The US administration plans to inform later this week its European allies in NATO of reduced military support it is ready to provide if a conflict or another major crisis occurs, Reuters reported, citing sources.

21.05.2026 14:20 NATO Foreign Ministers will meet in Helsingborg on Thursday and Friday to finalise preparations for the Ankara Summit. Speaking ahead of the meeting in Brussels on Wednesday , NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte highlighted the need to deliver on the commitments made at the Summit in The Hague last year, where Allies committed to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.

21.05.2026 14:20 The Ministerial Committee on Economic Policy of the Finnish Government has outlined that the expenditure Finland will be reporting under NATO's 1.5 per cent target for defence- and security-related spending will include statutory readiness and preparedness duties or capabilities critical to homeland defence that are sustained and developed by other branches of government than the Ministry of Defence.

21.05.2026 14:20 Today, 20 May, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand visited Tallinn, where she met Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, and together they officially opened the Canadian embassy in Estonia. Later in the day, a four-party meeting took place with the participation of Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Latvian Deputy Foreign Minister Artjoms Urulskis, who had also travelled to Estonia. The four-party meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the Baltic States and Canada, regional security and transatlantic relations.

21.05.2026 14:20 On Wednesday, May 19th, foundation stones were ceremonially laid for new military infrastructure facilities in Lielvārde and Riga, officially marking the start of construction on two major projects worth €64 million.

21.05.2026 14:20 Minister of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov; First Deputy Minister of Defense - Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijan Army, Colonel General Karim Valiyev; Deputy Minister of Defense - Commander of the Air Force, Lieutenant General Namig Islamzade; along with other senior officials of the Ministry, are on a working visit to Türkiye to participate in the Distinguished Visitors Day of the "EFES-2026" multinational joint exercise, Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense told AZERTAC.

21.05.2026 14:20 No description

21.05.2026 14:20 The Chief of Defence Staff, General Gheorghiță Vlad, participated, on May 19 and 20, in Brussels, in the NATO Military Committee and the European Union Military Committee Meetings, two of the most important consultation and strategic coordination formats at the level of the chiefs of defence of Allied and European Union member states.