Alice Tidey

Defence Editor for @Rapporteur_news. Ramble in English and French. Views are my own. Drop me a line or tips at [email protected]

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Career update: I'm thrilled to announce that this week I joined @Euractiv as Defence Editor.

You can now send me tips (or just say hello) at [email protected]

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

"Of course, we will defend the kingdom of Denmark," PM Frederiksen said upon arriving at the #NATOSummit, reiterating that Greenland is "not for sale".

Yesterday, Trump said that Greenland “should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark”.

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

🚨Breaking🚨: France & Germany have reached an agreement on the governance of KNDS (see statement below)

Need a refresher? @kjeld_neu covered the story weeks ago for @Euractiv https://t.co/64pnCpx4fE

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

The US today announced a review of its military posture in Europe.

Europe needs to “wait” and “keep a cool head” as the US carries it out, defence ministers said on Thursday, as many questions remain unanswered.

https://t.co/YuDV8DmEfP

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

On the NATO force model and the US removing some assets, Rutte just said that "if war breaks out, clearly what all allies will do, including the US, is to max out" (what they can contribute).

More on that on @Euractiv: https://t.co/CQ9LuqyPW7

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will attend this afternoon's Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at NATO HQ, Sec Gen Mark Rutte just announced

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

I interviewed @Bpifrance Pascal Lagarde to catch up with what France's investment bank is doing to boost defence production.

He told me about their planned push to bring civilian companies into the defence industrial ecosystem.

👉https://t.co/00OUULvPbY

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

EU defence spending through the bloc’s fiscal flexibility mechanism remains far below the €650 billion increase projected by the European Commission,  Economy Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis has acknowledged.

https://t.co/DdSp5o9hYp

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

So the SAFE payments begin.

[EU Defence and Space @defis_eu]

🛡️ A key milestone for #SAFE.

🇵🇱 Poland has become the first EU country to receive a payment under the Security Action for Europe instrument: €6.6 billion, representing 15% of its total €43.7 billion allocation.

🔗 Learn more: https://t.co/twW7RGCRRg

#EUDefence #EUSecurity

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

This week, I visited the Sēlija training range in Latvia which has now become NATO’s innovation range for uncrewed systems and counter-UAS technologies.

This is my full report 👉: https://t.co/okSvXNAWn6

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

#NATO could launch a pilot scheme for “innovation badges” as early as September to help allies identify tested defence technologies and speed up procurement, officials said.

Full story 👉: https://t.co/juyKk0O1i6

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Yesterday I sat down with Latvian President @edgarsrinkevics to talk drone incursions, Eastern Flank and what NATO and the EU should do.

Read some of what he said here: https://t.co/Vj1VyXIku3

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Latvia will deploy interceptor drone units, including remotely operated .50-calibre automatic turret guns, to its eastern border within days, according to a senior Latvian military official.
https://t.co/1M1gYWquAV

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Ministers are also talking about the Russian disinfo campaign over the drone incidents there. Here's a good primer on this:

https://t.co/nVGFWn2dEk

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

'All's well that ends well' for Poland, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told reporters as he arrived at a NATO ministerial in Sweden this morning following the US announcement that 5,000 troops would be sent there.

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

It's not just drones, “long-range capabilities and deep strikes are also among the most important, most valuable lessons Ukraine can share with our partners," the head of #Ukraine’s mission to #NATO told me for @Euractiv

Read the full story 👇:

https://t.co/W9utUkIPvf

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Ace story on from @ilpiotr with this little tidbit:

Preparatory work is already underway, with an EEAS fact-finding mission set to visit Beirut in a matter of days to establish first contacts to set up the new mission, an EU official confirmed exclusively to @Euractiv.

[Pietro Guastamacchia @ilpiotr]

The EU is working on a military mission in Lebanon “radically different” from @UNIFIL_. Blue helmets could give up positions on the #BlueLine, and focus will shift on training LAF to disarm Hezbollah. Rome may retain a leading role.
Details on @Euractiv 👇
https://t.co/KLMWuzBzdU

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

EU countries that ordered military equipment via the US FMS system are seemingly waking up to the fact Washington can delay and reprioritise deliveries at short notice. The problem: there is no obvious recourse or alternative.

My latest for @Euractiv

https://t.co/SENtukqw8p

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

France is redeploying its Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier and escort vessels to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in order "to expedite the implementation" of its coalition of the willing mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz once the conditions allow.

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

Brussels welcomed the “clear political signal” from London & said the UK must "commit to providing a fair and proportionate financial contribution to the costs rising from borrowing".

https://t.co/3moyRXLcxK

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

"The American troops are not in Europe only for protecting the European interests but also American interests," she also said.

[Alice Tidey @AliceTidey]

The timing of the US announcement that it will withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany "comes as a surprise," Kaja Kallas says from the #EPC summit in Yerevan.

"I think it shows that we have to really strengthen the European pillar in #NATO and we have to really do more."