Americas
Recruitment in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has reached a 10-year high, with over 6,700 new enlistees joining within the past year, Global News reported. The figure represents a 55 percent increase over the previous year and exceeds the government’s target by more than 200 recruits, according to data from the Department of National Defence obtained by the Canadian news outlet.
General Dynamics Electric Boat has received a $1.85-billion contract to purchase key components and begin early construction for future US Navy Virginia-class submarines. The initiative aims to keep the submarine program on schedule and ensure suppliers are ready for upcoming production demands.
Middle East & Africa
Syria said on Friday it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement the 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, which created a UN-patrolled buffer zone separating the two countries’ forces. In a statement after a phone call with his US counterpart Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani expressed Damascus’s “aspiration to cooperate with the United States to return to the 1974 disengagement agreement.”
Europe
The French military vehicle manufacturer Arquus and the German commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck want to work closely together on a project-specific basis. This partnership serves the strategic cooperation beyond the two companies’ own business activities and includes joint vehicle development, production, sales and services in the area of military wheeled vehicles.
Asia-Pacific
The Australian government will invest $1.39 billion to purchase the latest AMRAAM missile variants for air defense and aerial strike capability. The announcement follows the US State Department’s approval to sell up to 200 each of AIM-120C and AIM-120D AMRAAM missiles to Australia in April. The 120D-3 will be deployed on Australia’s F/A-18F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, while the 120C-8 is meant for the National Advanced Surface to Air Missile System (NASAMS).