Global defense spending has reached unprecedented levels in 2026, driven by great power competition, regional conflicts, and the accelerating pace of military technological change.
Great power competition between the United States and China has reemerged as the defining feature of international security, reshaping alliances, defense strategies, and global stability.
The Arctic is emerging as a new front in great power competition, with melting ice caps opening strategic waterways and triggering a military buildup among Arctic nations.
Hybrid warfare combines military and non-military tools to achieve strategic objectives, with Russia pioneering influence operations that have reshaped global security and counter-strategies.
The Indo-Pacific region has become the epicenter of naval power competition, with major powers modernizing their fleets and asserting maritime claims in a rapidly evolving security landscape.