Show Notes
Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts Henry Boyd, Fenella McGerty, Ester Sabatino and Ruben Stewart to discuss the 2026 edition of The Military Balance. The Military Balance reveals a world of accelerating defence transformation. From Europe’s structural spending surge and procurement bottlenecks, to institutionalised drone warfare, Gulf industrial localisation and intensifying US-China competition, IISS experts unpack how shifting US policy and allied burden-sharing are reshaping global military dynamics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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As European rearmament accelerates and NATO's defence ambitions expand, what progress has actually been made and where do the gaps remain? Meia Nouwens is joined by four IISS experts to reflect on the key discussions from the third IISS Prague Defence Summit, covering South Korea-Europe security ties, land warfare, defence spending and the challenge of turning strategic ambition into real capability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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The episode examines the gap between NATO's 5% GDP spending commitments and the delivery of real military capability, the challenge of sustaining support for Ukraine as US stockpiles face pressure from the Iran conflict and Türkiye's growing defence industrial ambitions and the political significance of hosting the summit. The conversation also addresses NATO's structural three-front problem, spanning command seams, sustainment and force-level gaps, lessons European militaries should be drawing from Ukraine and whether a more formalised European Plan B is now a strategic necessity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by IISS experts Veerle Nouwens, Darshana M. Baruah, Morgan Michaels and Dr Daniel Salisbury to reflect on the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, which was held in Singapore from 29–31 May 2026. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.