China Boosts Defense Spending by 15 Percent: China announced at its annual National People’s Congress this past weekend that it would raise military spending this year by 15 percent—to $35.1 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. Remember last year, the International Institute for Strategic Studies said that China actually spent twice what it publicly stated.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.