10 Key Military And Defense Developments (December 1523, 2025)

(MENAFN- The Rio Times) The period from December 15–23, 2025 was defined by long-range deterrence moves on three fronts: Ukraine's expanding strike reach into Russia, a sharp U.S. build-up in the Caribbean aimed at Venezuela, and competing naval ambitions from Paris and Washington.

Europe pushed further into“war-economy” posture, combining new EU rules to speed defence investment, large helicopter and missile buys, and a NATO logistics hub to move weapons into Ukraine.

At the same time, Iran's missile drills and India's planned submarine-launched ballistic-missile test highlighted how the Middle East and Indian Ocean are becoming more tightly woven into global nuclear-deterrence calculations.

Items are ranked for geopolitical impact: cross-border risk, great-power involvement, escalation potential, and consequences for force structure and industry.
1. Ukraine's underwater drones hit Russian submarine at Novorossiysk (Dec 15)
On December 15, 2025, Ukraine 's security service said“Sub Sea Baby” underwater drones had struck a Russian Project 636.3 Kilo-class submarine at the Novorossiysk naval base on the Black Sea.

Ukrainian officials claimed the cruise-missile-capable boat was knocked out of action, in what they described as the first publicly acknowledged underwater-drone attack on a submarine in this war.

Moscow acknowledged an incident but disputed the scale of damage, underscoring how hard it is to verify strikes on high-value naval assets.

Summary: The attack shows Ukraine can now threaten Russian submarines in port, forcing costly new defences around one of Moscow's key Black Sea hubs.


2. U.S. Southern Command hits three narco boats in Eastern Pacific (Dec 15–16)
On December 15, 2025, Joint Task Force Southern Spear carried out lethal kinetic strikes on three low-profile vessels in international waters of the Eastern Pacific, killing eight men that U.S. intelligence labelled narco-terrorists.

The boats were said to be moving along known trafficking routes linked to designated terrorist organisations, and imagery showed the craft burning and left adrift.

The actions form part of a wider campaign of boat strikes ordered since early September, which has now killed close to 100 people and drawn criticism from lawmakers and rights groups over evidence standards and rules of engagement.

Summary: The operation deepens a counter-narco campaign that looks increasingly like a small, undeclared war at sea, with mounting legal and diplomatic scrutiny.
3. U.S. launches large-scale strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria (Dec 19)
On December 19, 2025, the United States launched what officials called a“large-scale” strike package against Islamic State positions across central Syria, after an ambush a week earlier killed two U.S. soldiers and an American interpreter.

More than 100 precision munitions were fired by F-15, F-16 and A-10 aircraft, backed by Apache helicopters and HIMARS rockets, hitting around 70 sites in areas such as Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa and near Palmyra.

Washington framed the operation as retaliation rather than the start of a new campaign, while Syria's post-Assad government publicly welcomed the move as joint counter-terrorism.

Summary: The strikes show that even as U.S. attention shifts westward, Washington is still prepared to unleash major airpower in Syria when its troops are attacked.
4. F-35 build-up in Caribbean sharpens pressure on Venezuela (Dec 20–22)
By December 21, 2025, a detachment of U.S. Air Force F-35A fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard had arrived at the reactivated Roosevelt Roads base in Puerto Rico, joining previously deployed Marine Corps F-35Bs.

Open-source tallies now point to around 20 F-35s in theatre, backed by electronic-warfare aircraft, MQ-9 drones, gunships and support assets under Operation Southern Spear.

The stealth jets bring longer range and heavier internal bomb loads than the F-35Bs, significantly improving U.S. options for precision strikes deep inside Venezuelan airspace if ordered.

Summary: The F-35 build-up turns Operation Southern Spear from a pressure campaign into a force posture that could credibly execute large, fast strikes on Venezuela.
5. France green-lights PANG, Europe's future flagship aircraft carrier (Dec 21–23)
During a December 21–22 visit to French troops in the United Arab Emirates, President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that France will proceed with full construction of the Porte-avions de nouvelle génération (PANG) to replace the Charles de Gaulle by 2038.

The nuclear-powered carrier will displace around 78,000–80,000 tonnes, stretch roughly 310 metres, and carry about 30 next-generation fighters using electromagnetic catapults, with a total crew of roughly 2,000.

The €10-plus-billion programme will involve hundreds of French firms and is pitched as both a symbol of national power and a pillar of European“strategic autonomy” at sea.

Summary: Approving PANG locks France into decades of blue-water power-projection and ensures Europe will field at least one carrier in the U.S. super-carrier class.
6. Iran conducts ballistic-missile drills across multiple cities (Dec 22)
On December 22, 2025, Iranian state and semi-official media reported missile drills in several cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Khorramabad, releasing videos that appeared to show multiple launches.

Officials portrayed the exercises as routine and defensive, but they came six months after Iran's missile salvos in the June war with Israel and were described by regional analysts as the second major drill in about a month.

Israeli leaders warned that the launches could mask preparations for real strikes, while U.S. officials and outside experts highlighted signs that Iran is rebuilding stocks and production capacity for its ballistic-missile forces.

Summary: The drills underline that Iran is reconstituting its missile arsenal after the summer war, keeping pressure on Israeli and Gulf air- and missile-defence networks.
7. EU moves to speed defence investment and harden its industrial base (Dec 18)
On December 18, 2025, EU governments adopted a new regulation to“incentivise and simplify” defence-related investments under the bloc's budget, making it easier to channel funds into the European defence technological and industrial base.

The same European Council summit in Brussels highlighted defence readiness as a core priority and welcomed Canada's participation in the SAFE financing instrument, signalling a more transatlantic flavour to EU defence funding.

Together, the measures aim to shorten timelines, cut red tape and support joint programmes at a time when high demand for munitions and air-defence systems is straining European factories.

Summary: Brussels is shifting from ad-hoc schemes to a more permanent defence-investment toolkit, treating rearmament and industrial capacity as long-term structural needs.
8. Spain orders 100 Airbus helicopters in major modernisation push (Dec 18–19)
On December 18–19, Spain's defence ministry finalised contracts for 100 Airbus helicopters-covering H135, H145M, H175M and NH90 variants-to recapitalise fleets across the army, navy, air force and Guardia Civil.

Madrid framed the deal as the largest helicopter procurement in its history and as central to a multi-year plan to hit NATO spending targets while boosting national“strategic autonomy” in aerospace.

In parallel, Spanish firms Indra and ARQUIMEA signed a partnership to integrate loitering munitions and other unmanned systems into a common“combat cloud,” positioning Spain to bid more aggressively into future European programmes.

Summary: Spain is using a big helicopter order and new industry tie-ups to modernise its lift and attack capabilities while climbing the value chain in European defence.
9. NATO logistics hub in Romania and AMRAAM-ER sale deepen Europe's air and supply network (Dec 21–23)
On December 21, 2025, NATO officials confirmed that a new logistics hub in Romania will start operating in January 2026 to coordinate weapons and equipment transit to Ukraine, complementing the existing Polish node at Rzeszów.

Two days later, the U.S. State Department approved a potential $951 million sale of AMRAAM-ER missiles to Denmark, providing 236 extended-range interceptors and related gear to bolster both air-force and ground-based air defences.

Combined with earlier NASAMS and IRIS-T buys, the move strengthens a north-European air-defence belt and reinforces alliance logistics for sustained support to Kyiv.

Summary: A new NATO hub and fresh missile stocks for Denmark show Europe quietly upgrading both the pipelines that feed Ukraine and the shields that protect its own skies.
10. India's planned K-4 submarine-launched missile test raises Indian Ocean risk (Dec 19–24)
By December 19, 2025, analysts had flagged a series of Indian Notices to Airmen that repeatedly shifted and extended a missile-test danger zone in the Indian Ocean, with the final window set for December 22–24 and a range of around 3,500 kilometres.

The pattern points to an imminent test of the K-4 nuclear-capable submarine-launched ballistic missile from an Arihant-class boat, a key step in maturing India's sea-based leg of its nuclear triad.

Chinese research ships operating in the broader region added to concerns that detection, tracking and messaging around the test could feed misperceptions among three nuclear-armed states.

Summary: A K-4 test would confirm India's move toward a more credible sea-based deterrent, but also tightens a three-way nuclear competition in an already crowded Indian Ocean.
11. Trump announces“Trump-class” battleships and a new Golden Fleet (Dec 22)
On December 22, 2025, President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new“Trump-class” of battleships as the centrepiece of a 20–25-ship“Golden Fleet,” starting with the USS Defiant.

The 35,000-tonne, 880-foot ships are pitched as larger and more heavily armed than historic U.S. battleships, featuring a railgun, hypersonic Conventional Prompt Strike missiles, nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missiles, and multiple laser and missile-defence systems.

At the same event, Trump threatened to crack down on defence-industry cost overruns via curbs on executive pay, buybacks and dividends for firms with late, over-budget programs.

Summary: The Trump-class concept blends a politically branded naval icon with experimental weapons and a tougher line on contractors, raising big questions about cost, timelines and doctrine.

MENAFN23122025007421016031ID1110519069