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EU opens door for Canada to become its first associate member, von der Leyen says

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is opening the door for Canada to become its first "associate member", a status that is not set out in the bloc's treaties. Von der Leyen's announcement is a significant shift in EU policy. The bloc has historically resisted flexible categories and EU members were lukewarm in reacting to Germany's proposal in May of associate membership for Ukraine as a stepping stone to full accession. "Partnerships are a strategic choice for Europe. But they also respond to the fracture in the international rules-based system," von der Leyen said in her annual State of the European Union address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. "We see the world with the same eyes: from AI to climate change, from the Arctic to geopolitics. And we have stood together: on Ukraine, on defence, on raw materials and on supply chains. But above all...Europe and Canada beli...
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US burns through dozens of missile interceptors in single Iranian attack on Jordan: WSJ

The US military used as many as 70 Patriot interceptors and more than a dozen THAAD anti-missile interceptors to counter a recent Iranian ballistic missile attack on Jordan, highlighting growing pressure on American air defence stocks, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. US forces fired between 60 and 70 Patriot interceptors against an attack involving about 20 ballistic missiles, while more than a dozen Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptors were also launched, the newspaper reported, citing US and regional officials familiar with the matter. The number of interceptors expended was roughly equivalent to what US forces have used during an entire week at other points in the conflict, according to the report. Iran reportedly used warheads that separated into multiple projectiles as they approached their targets, complicating efforts to intercept them. The defences did not stop all incoming threats, with Iran striking fighter jets and other aircraft at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, though no US personnel were killed in the latest attack, the Journal said. Read: Iran war cost hits $38 billion, forecast to rise $3 billion a month, CBO says Iranian attacks have become increasingly complex during the conflict, employing different missile types, trajectories, manoeuvres and warheads in attempts to penetrate US defences, officials told the newspaper. US Central Command declined to comment on the report, while the Pentagon rejected suggestions that American munitions were depleted. “Reports suggesting that the United States’ munitions are depleted are completely false,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said, adding that the US military remains capable of responding to threats. President Donald Trump also said Monday that the US maintains large stocks of interceptors and is increasing production. The Defence Department's inspector general, however, said in a report this week that the conflict “has resulted in strategic inventory shortfalls and revealed industrial base bottlenecks for munitions resupply.” By mid-July, the US had used about 1,700 Patriot interceptors and more than 200 THAAD interceptors during the conflict, according to officials cited by the Journal. US Navy ships had additionally fired about 150 Standard Missile interceptors against Iranian missiles and drones. Lockheed Martin, which manufactures Patriot interceptors, produced 620 in 2025 and is seeking to increase annual production to roughly 2,000, according to the report. US officials have also expressed concerns that the transfer of large quantities of munitions to the Middle East could affect Washington's ability to respond to potential threats elsewhere, including in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, separately told CBS' “60 Minutes” this week that he was not concerned about interceptor shortages and that US forces were prepared for any contingency. The pressure on interceptor inventories has also prompted Gulf states to seek additional air defence munitions after months of Iranian missile and drone attacks, while affecting the availability of systems for Ukraine's defence against Russian strikes, according to the Journal.

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