The U.S. State Department has approved a $5 billion military equipment sale to Saudi Arabia, including guidance systems for thousands of bombs and long-range missiles. Washington said the deal would strengthen Saudi Arabia’s air-defense capabilities and contribute to stability and economic development in the Gulf.
Pakistan’s federal government has appointed Major General Faisal Naseer as National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) for a three-year term. Naseer, a former head of the ISI’s Internal Wing, takes charge as Pakistan faces rising militant violence, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Israel and Greece have signed a $3.5 billion defense agreement, their largest arms deal to date, under which Athens will acquire a multilayered Israeli air defense system designed to counter ballistic missiles, drones and other aerial threats.
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are set to hold their first committee meeting in Istanbul under the Makkah Joint Defense Agreement, which treats an armed attack on any one of the three countries as an attack on all. The pact aims to strengthen collective defense, military coordination and cooperation in the defense industry amid rising tensions across the Middle East.
India has signed a deal with the United States to acquire Javelin anti-tank missile systems, strengthening defense cooperation between the two countries amid recent diplomatic and trade tensions.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow for talks with Russian intelligence officials, in a rare high-level U.S.-Russia contact. President Donald Trump said the discussions could produce results and reiterated Washington’s desire to end the war in Ukraine, while the Kremlin confirmed the intelligence contacts but said Ratcliffe did not meet President Vladimir Putin.
Writing Pakistan, Kuwait Sign Protocol Agreement-2026 to Expand Military Cooperation Rawalpindi (Terror Monitor) — Pakistan and Kuwait have signed the “Protocol Agreement-2026” to significantly strengthen the existing military cooperation framework between the two countries, amid broader efforts by Pakistan and Gulf states to deepen defence and security partnerships. The agreement builds on the Defence Cooperation Agreement-2023, which Pakistan and Kuwait signed in Kuwait on June 11, 2023, with
Iraq has established a new operations command near the Saudi border to strengthen security along its southern and western frontiers and prevent attacks against neighboring states.
Pakistan’s proposed Defence Forces Act 2026 and National Command Authority amendment seek to overhaul the country’s military command structure by creating a Chief of Defence Forces post, establishing a central Defence Forces Headquarters and expanding the National Command Authority.
