The Briefing
All analysis, briefings, and deep-dives from Rex Lex.
A botched Pentagon email prevented 4,000 US troops from deploying to Poland, exposing fragile NATO coordination and heightening Warsaw's doubts about American reliability in the face of Russian pressure.
Trump announces 5,000-troop withdrawal from Germany, forcing European leaders to accelerate plans for military independence and security autonomy.
Europe's defence spending surges 14 percent in 2025 as NATO members accelerate rearmament.
As Ukraine marks 40 years since the Chernobyl disaster, the EU condemns Russia's continued military strikes on nuclear facilities across Ukrainian territory.
With Russia still threatening NATO's eastern flank and US security guarantees uncertain, European defence officials are pushing hard to integrate production across borders and create genuine EU defence industrial capacity.
4 min read
The Trump administration is actively considering withdrawing US forces from Europe, citing NATO partners' failure to support military operations in the Middle East. For the EU, the moment has arrived to act on strategic autonomy.
4 min read
Brussels is preparing operational protocols for invoking Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty. The move signals that Europe is treating NATO's future as uncertain — and planning for a scenario where the US is not the guarantor.
5 min read
France is planning a multibillion-euro defence expansion that will quadruple its missile and drone stockpiles by 2030. The draft military planning law also signals Paris is developing a new main battle tank — the first in a generation.
4 min read
France is planning a massive increase in missile production and exploring development of a new main battle tank, signalling Paris is moving from European autonomy rhetoric to actual rearmament.
4 min read
The EU's diplomatic service is drawing up operational guidelines for Article 42(7). In an era when Trump questions NATO, Brussels is preparing to use it.
5 min read
The EU's diplomatic service is drawing up operational guidelines for Article 42(7) — the European mutual defence clause. In an era when Trump questions NATO, Brussels is preparing to use it.
5 min read
The European Commission has launched its EDIP work programme — €1.5 billion in grants for 2026–2027 to scale up missile production, counter-drone systems, and Ukraine's own defence industrial base.
5 min read