NATO nations pledged in June to raise “core” defense spending to 3.5 percent of their GDP, which would be funneled into buying new military equipment and other capabilities. Another 1.5 percent would be earmarked for defense-related spending, such as infrastructure the armed forces may need to use.

While the U.S. has taken part in previous iterations of the military exercise, this year's U.S. footprint was smaller as allied nations are pressed by the Trump administration to put more into European defense.

Business Insider observed US, Polish, and Romanian forces learning to use the Merops system, which has been combat-proven in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Poland's special services minister accused Russian intelligence Tuesday of orchestrating a railway blast that destroyed a key track on a route used to deliver aid to Ukraine. Jacek Dobrzyński told reporters that "everything indicates" Russian intelligence was behind the sabotage of Polish railways.

President Trump said Tuesday evening that he has formally designated Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, aiming to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.

President Trump said Tuesday he will designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, marking a step up in defense ties between the U.S. and the Gulf monarchy.

The DragonFire also offers a much cheaper than traditional missile-based air defense. It will make the U.K. the first European country to field an operational naval laser, placing it as a key leader within NATO as it faces the growing threat posed by Russian hybrid attacks on the alliance which include flying drones into its airspace.

President Donald Trump said he would formally designate Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally in a further strengthening of ties between the two countries, capping a day of dealmaking between the US leader and the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.