Global Security and Defense Developments - 18 February 2026

This daily brief examines heightened military posturing and strategic deployments amid ongoing diplomatic engagement, as major powers balance deterrence, signaling, and negotiation. It assesses force movements, operational readiness, and alliance dynamics alongside parallel diplomatic tracks, highlighting indicators that shape escalation risk and crisis management across multiple theaters. The brief is designed to support timely situational awareness by contextualizing tactical developments within broader geopolitical and security trends.

U.S. POSSIBLE ATTACK ON IRAN - MIDDLE EAST DEPLOYMENT

• The U.S. Air Force has transferred at least 45 aerial refueling tankers from the U.S. mainland to bases across Europe and the Middle East.

• A total of 48 F-16s, 6 F-22s, 6 E-3G AWACS, and 1 E-11A BACN aircraft have been deployed or are currently deploying from European and U.S.-based airfields to the region. The scale and pace of the U.S. military buildup toward Iran have accelerated dramatically following the Geneva talks, marking a sharp increase in operational readiness.

• The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford has been observed off the coast of Morocco. The carrier is expected to transit the Strait of Gibraltar on February 19 and enter the Mediterranean, with assessments indicating that it will move into the CENTCOM area of responsibility in the coming week.

GLOBAL SECURITY DEVELOPMENTS

• The second round of indirect nuclear talks between Iran and the United States has concluded, with both sides announcing that they have reached an understanding on “core principles.” While this is described as progress in the negotiation process, a final agreement has not yet been achieved, and work on a comprehensive document will continue.

• Preparations are underway for the next phase of talks, during which draft texts will be prepared and mutual proposals exchanged. Iran’s ballistic missile program and regional activities remain key points of divergence at the negotiating table.

• Regional military tensions continue in parallel with diplomacy; Iran has conducted exercises in the Strait of Hormuz, while the United States is reinforcing its naval and air presence in the region.

• U.S. military preparations are expanding, with fighter aircraft, aerial refueling tankers, and intelligence platforms deployed to the Middle East both to increase pressure on the diplomatic track and to strengthen potential military operational capacity.

• It has been claimed that Iran is preparing for joint exercises with Russia and China; Tehran is assessed to be seeking alternative deterrence options and a coordinated strategic show of force in response to U.S. military pressure.

• The third round of peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the United States is ongoing in Geneva; following the first day, negotiations have focused on practical solutions and ceasefire mechanisms, with talks continuing on February 18.

• The Russian Baltic Fleet corvette Stoikiy carried out a PASSEX naval exercise with Iranian Navy ships in the Gulf of Oman after a port call at Bandar Abbas.

• Observations of China’s military presence and exercises around Taiwan indicate that deterrence and counter-detection activities are ongoing in the Asia-Pacific, with regional actors attempting to balance defense readiness and diplomacy.

• The United States plans to deploy additional Mid-Range Capability Typhon missile systems to the Philippines, expanding a posture first established in Northern Luzon.

• U.S. Forces Strike 3 Suspected Narco Boats in Eastern Pacific and Caribbean. Two of the strikes were against boats in the Eastern Pacific, each killing four men. The third, conducted against a boat in the Caribbean, killed three people.

GLOBAL DEFENSE DEVELOPMENTS

• The U.S. Army announced that AH-64 Apaches live-fire tested the 30x113mm XM1225 Aviation Proximity Explosive (APEX) ammo last December. The trials occurred at the service’s sprawling Yuma Proving Ground in southern Arizona. Multiple test engagements occurred against various types of drone targets.

• Chinese Navy ıntensifies J-11BSH naval fighter training for long-range maritime operations.

• The U.S. Department of War announced that the first fully developed High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System, HADES, aircraft based on a modified Bombardier Global 6500 will be delivered in fiscal year 2026.

• Portugal authorized the sale of four Tejo-class coastal patrol vessels to the Ministry of National Defense of the Dominican Republic for a total of €24,000,000, setting an individual price of €6,000,000 per ship.

• Iranian state media released footage of the IRGC Navy warship Shahid Sayyad Shirazi launching a vertical-launch Sayyad-3 variant during drills in the Strait of Hormuz.

• Italian defence company Piloda Defence signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding in Naples with Türkiye’s HAVELSAN and Istanbul-based VN Maritime Technologies to develop unmanned and hybrid maritime platforms for Italy.

• Leonardo DRS announced that it has been awarded multiple contracts under the Missile Defense Agency’s Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity agreement with a ceiling value of $151 billion aimed at accelerating delivery of air and missile defense capabilities for U.S. forces.

• The U.S. Air Force has awarded Liquid Robotics Inc., based in Herndon, Virginia, a $25 million contract to supply 20 unmanned surface vehicles under a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program supporting Japan.

• Elbit Systems announced that it has secured contracts valued at approximately $277 million from an international customer for the supply of 30 mm turrets and associated munitions.

• Bulgaria has received the first batch of Stryker armored vehicles, with five combat vehicles arriving at the port of Burgas.

• The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded $16.2 million to Amentum UK to develop a hypersonic missile system.