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A U.S. Marine F-35B Lightning II (Joint Stike Fighter) flies during the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Airshow on September 28, 2024 in San Diego, California (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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The U.K. is looking to revamp its defense capabilities and on the wish list of new weapons are U.S.-made fighter jets capable of launching tactical nuclear weapons to, in part, counter the threat from Russia, the Sunday Times reported on June 1.

The British military has a substantial nuclear arsenal, but after decommissioning a number of platforms at the end of the Cold War, can today only launch such weapons from its submarines.

According to the Sunday Times, the new air fleet will form a key part of the UK's strategic defense review, set to go public on June 2.

The military is looking at F-35A Lightning stealth fighter jets, made by Lockheed Martin, the report says.

The review is largely in response to the increasing risk of state-on-state warfare, specifically the threat of a Russian attack. In other line items from the pending review, the U.K. government is asking for £6 billion ($8 billion) for more ammunition, to be manufactured in six new factories, as well as a boost in the number of the navy's fleet of destroyers and frigates from 14 to 25.

The U.K. government will also consider a new missile defense shield capable of protecting against prospective ballistic attacks.

The broad plan is to boost British defense spending to 3% of GDP. But the projected timeframe for that boost is between now and 2034.

Post-Cold War plans for increasing defense spending in Europe have historically sunk amid murky deadlines and administration handoffs.

As 50,000 Russian troops amass, Ukraine’s Sumy Oblast braces for potential large-scale offensive
Reports of an imminent Russian summer offensive and troop build ups on Ukraine’s border are raising alarms in Sumy Oblast and fears that a large-scale assault could be on the horizon. Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 22 said he had ordered his military to create a “security buffer zone”

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4:06 AM

Latvia joins UN Security Council for first time.

Latvia was elected on June 3 to the UN Security Council for the first time in its history. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braže called it a “historic day" for the Baltic nation, pledging the country’s commitment to upholding the rules-based international order.
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