GFP 2025
The Global Firepower (GFP) 2025 Military Strength Ranking places Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Southeastern Europe (SEE) in a sharply divided position: a handful of frontline states are rising in global relevance, while much of the Western Balkans remains near the bottom of the list.
Dimdex 2026
Croatian drone manufacturer Orqa has signed a memorandum of understanding with Qatar’s Barzan Holdings during DIMDEX in Doha. The agreement explores localized drone manufacturing as part of Orqa’s global production scaling strategy.
Croatia
Croatian defence firms and government officials have highlighted domestic unmanned systems and explored industrial cooperation at DIMDEX 2026 in Doha. A memorandum with a Qatari defence group aims to localise production of Croatian drone technology in the Gulf.
Croatia
France’s Minister Delegate for Europe visited Croatian unmanned systems manufacturer DOK-ING in Zagreb, underscoring growing interest in European industrial capabilities for security, defense, and resilience.
Croatia
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is visiting Croatia on January 12 as part of an alliance tour, during which Croatian defence industry capabilities will be reviewed. A domestically built combat vessel by Shadows Nautics will be presented to Rutte and allied representatives.
Croatia
Croatia has assumed full responsibility for the surveillance and protection of its national airspace following the operational activation of its Rafale fighter fleet.
Opinion
As Europe re-arms and defense capital floods Western hubs, Bosnia and Serbia remain absent from the defense-tech map—pushed into a low-margin subcontractor role despite strong industrial and engineering foundations.
Croatia
Croatia has committed nearly €14 million to NATO’s Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), enabling the purchase of US-made weapons for Ukraine while simultaneously advancing its own major defence modernisation programmes.
Opinion
Western Balkan states are revisiting compulsory military service as security pressures rise. Slovenia is debating a limited return, Serbia is moving fast, and Croatia has already begun enforcement—while Bosnia and Herzegovina remains held back by political deadlock and underfunding.
Croatia
Croatia has secured €235.7 million in its 2025 budget to fund advance payments for CAESAR Mk2 self-propelled howitzers and Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks, pushing national defense spending above the NATO benchmark and reinforcing ongoing force modernization efforts.
Kosovo
Kosovo plans to launch local production of the Albanian-designed “Shota” armored vehicle under a trilateral defense cooperation framework with Albania and Croatia, a move officials say would be the first joint armored vehicle program in the Balkans.
Croatia
Innovation is now a strategic responsibility in Europe’s defense industry, as unmanned systems reshape military and civil protection capabilities. Gordan Pesic of DOK-ING says smaller, agile industries can play a decisive role if innovation is treated as a long-term commitment.