ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems has been barred from bidding to build Germany's next generation of battleships. This comes as a further blow to the company, which is already dealing with allegations of bribery and cost overruns on several naval orders. The German defence ministry said it did not trust ThyssenKrupp and its partner, Lürrsen shipyards,to build the new warship and the proposed price of €4bn for four warships was too high.  

US President Donald Trump has told troops that he wants the US military to create a new 'space force'. "My new national strategy for space recognises that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea," Trump said. "We may even have a space force... We have the air force, we'll have the space force, we'll have the army, the navy." The president made the comments during a visit to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station near San Diego. 

German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall Landsysteme has beaten British rival BAE Systems to win a A$5bn ($3.9bn) contract to build more than 200 combat reconnaissance vehicles for the Australian defence forces. The company has pledged to set up a manufacturing facility in Queensland to build most of the 211 Boxer CRV vehicles, using Australian materials and creating up to 1,450 jobs over 30 years.

Britain will put its status as a "credible military power" at risk unless it increases its defence budget, former commander of the UK's Maritime Forces Rear Admiral Alex Burton has said. "If you do not spend more on defence than we currently are as a percentage of GDP, then we put at risk the fact that we are currently a credible military power, and from that we put at risk our position on the global stage," he told the BBC. His comments come amid a black hole of at least £20bn in the defence budget over the next decade, with widespread speculation about possible cuts to personnel and equipment.