In this podcast episode, Meia Nouwens is joined by Dr Ben Schreer, Fenella McGerty, Tom Waldwyn and Ester Sabatino to discuss the status and future trajectory of European defence and look back on the main take-aways from the IISS Prague Defence Summit.

Meia, Ben, Fenella, Tom and Ester analyse the trends in European and NATO defence spending and what’s next given the Trump election victory in the recent US presidential election. They also focus on the trends in military procurement, and challenges to building readiness. In addition, they discuss the challenges Europe faces in securing rare materials and critical raw minerals that are vital to defence production, and discuss what’s being done already, and what’s on the horizon for European security of supply.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 12 November 2024

The podcast is recorded and produced by the IISS.

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In this episode of Sounds Strategic, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Emile Hokayem, Hasan Alhasan and Fabian Hinz to discuss the ongoing developments in the Middle East.

One year after 7 October, the speakers share their insights on the regional developments – from the status of the war in Gaza to the broadening of Israel’s operations in the region. The IISS experts discuss the strategic calculations behind Israel’s operations in Gaza and Lebanon, the evolving role of Iran and its regional allies, and the Gulf states' efforts to maintain stability amid rising tensions. As the United States and the wider West navigate a complex regional landscape, we consider the shifting balance of power and the potential diplomatic, military and humanitarian repercussions.

Join us for our in-depth analysis of the current conflict and its implications for regional and global security.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 2 October 2024

The podcast is recorded and produced by The International Institute for Strategic Studies. For more information, please visit https://www.iiss.org/

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In this episode of Sounds Strategic, podcast host Meia Nouwens is joined by Douglas Barrie and Timothy Wright to discuss the return of long-range US missiles to Europe.

Amid Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine and following Russian violations of arms control measures, Washington and Berlin have announced they would begin episodic deployments of conventionally-armed surface-to-surface missiles. IISS experts Douglas Barrie and Timothy Wright specialise in military aerospace and missile technology and discuss the context of this announcement. They explore how both NATO allies and Russia have responded, and what the impact of these deployments is on European stability in the short and longer term.

Meia also explores the Missile Dialogue Initiative, which since its establishment in 2019, aims to strengthen international discussion and to promote a high-level exchange of views on missile technologies and related international security dynamics.

We hope you enjoy the episode and please follow, rate, and subscribe to Sounds Strategic on the podcast platform of your choice.

Date of Recording: 7 August 2024

The podcast is recorded and produced by the IISS.

For further reading, read our latest blog: The return of long-range US missiles to Europe (iiss.org)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.