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Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and is published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has announced that Poland will host international military exercises later this year with the aim of preparing to provide security guarantees for Ukraine after a potential peace deal or ceasefire with Russia.

Tusk also declared Poland’s willingness to permanently host more troops from allied countries, with his defence minister later suggesting that this could involve French or British personnel.

Bezpieczeństwo nie rodzi się z deklaracji. Rodzi się ze współpracy. Pierwsze ćwiczenia wojsk Koalicji Chętnych odbędą się jesienią w Polsce. pic.twitter.com/0r3wieFbxn

— Donald Tusk (@donaldtusk) July 14, 2026

On Monday, the so-called Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries supporting Ukraine in its defence against Russian aggression, gathered for a summit in Paris.

Speaking on Tuesday morning, Tusk noted that a key topic of discussion had been “how to practically ensure security for Ukraine and the region after a possible peace, or at least a ceasefire”.

He said there had been a “joint decision that the first exercises and manoeuvres [relating to this issue], involving French and British troops, will take place in Poland this autumn”.

“These exercises will prepare the entire coalition gathered in Paris today to provide real security guarantees for Ukraine,” the Polish prime minister added. “We welcomed with great satisfaction this final decision that Poland will host not only American but also British and French troops.”

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Tusk went on to say that, while for now they had only discussed exercises, he had on Monday “announced to all leaders that Poland will also prepare logistically and financially for the permanent presence of not only American troops but also our allied forces in Europe”.

Speaking later on Tuesday, defence minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed that Poland is “ready for the permanent presence of, for example, French or British troops”. Both he and Tusk noted that this would be part of Europe’s efforts to take greater responsibility for defending NATO’s eastern flank.

So far, there has been no confirmation from other allied countries about the exercises announced by Tusk nor any comment on the idea of hosting more allied troops in Poland.

Earlier this year, after a previous Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, Tusk announced that Poland would be the “lead country” on providing logistical support for Ukraine after a potential peace deal. However, Poland has ruled out sending any peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.

Poland will be “the lead country” in logistical support for any peace deal in Ukraine, @donaldtusk has announced following today's Paris summit.

Tusk also reiterated that there will be no Polish troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of the peace process https://t.co/tqJDJ256xp

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 6, 2026

Poland already hosts around 10,000 US troops, though the number varies as most are deployed on a rotational basis. In 2023, the US established its first permanent military garrison in Poland. The following year it opened a missile defence base .

Last month, the Polish government formally requested that the US establish a new permanent military base in Poland. That came shortly after President Donald Trump pledged to send 5,000 additional troops to the country.

This month, both President Karol Nawrocki’s chief foreign policy aide, Marcin Przydacz, and deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk separately announced that Washington has given the “green light” for the new base. However, no official announcement has yet been made.

Poland also currently hosts small contingents of troops from other allied countries, including the UK, Romania and Croatia.

The Polish government has formally requested that the United States establish a new permanent military base in Poland.

The announcement comes shortly after President Donald Trump pledged to send 5,000 additional American troops to the country https://t.co/qN0M6zGguN

— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 3, 2026

Notes from Poland is run by a small editorial team and published by an independent, non-profit foundation that is funded through donations from our readers. We cannot do what we do without your support.

Main image credit: KPRM/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 )

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Kuhl announced sporty and off-road kits for the Nissan Armada.

The rugged Iron Build is crafted from lightweight FRP.

A tuned twin-turbo V6 will offer more power than the Nismo.

Japanese buyers won’t get the Y63-generation Nissan Patrol until next spring, but tuner Kuhl Racing skipped the wait and imported its North American twin, the Armada. The company is now building two modification programs for the full-size SUV that could not point in more opposite directions, both headed for the Tokyo Auto Salon in early 2027.

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Ahead of the physical builds, Kuhl has put out a batch of renderings along with a thorough breakdown of what it plans to change.

More: Nissan Is Going After The Ranger Tremor And Land Cruiser GR Sport

The Kuhl Iron Build leans hard into the Armada’s rougher instincts, pushing well past what the factory Pro-4X trim attempts . Outside, the SUV gains high-clearance bumpers, broad fender extensions, and a roof spoiler, the kind of hardware that reads as intent rather than decoration.

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The angular surfacing of the bodykit makes it look like a steel plate armor, but it’s actually made of fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP). According to Khul, this durable composite material helps avoid the weight penalty, high cost, and design limitations of steel.

More: A Patrol Built For Dubai Could Be Coming To America With A Different Badge

The off-road treatment also includes a new set of 37-inch mud-terrain tires wrapped around 22-inch Verz-Wheels DDR03 alloys . These are combined with a beefier coilover suspension sitting 2 inches (51 mm) higher than stock, although the end result will be more subtle than the wild renderings suggest.

The Slammed Alternative

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The second program, the Urban Style kit, exists for the Patrol and Armada owners who have no intention of ever touching dirt. Its bodykit brings reworked bumper intakes feeding an aggressive multi-piece splitter, matching side skirts, aero fins on the wheel arches, a rear wing, and a diffuser that swallows an optional quad-tailpipe exhaust.

Review: The 2026 Nissan Armada NISMO Is Exactly What It Looks Like

The most notable change is the low-down adjustable suspension giving the SUV the ground clearance of a GT-R . In this case, black alloy wheels are shod in performance tires. As an alternative, the tuner proposes seven-spoke 22-inch VRF01L forged wheels with a more subtle lowering kit and significantly milder styling tweaks.

More Power For Both Camps

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Independently of the styling package and the lifted or slammed suspension, the company is also working on performance upgrades. The twin-turbo 3.5-liter V6 engine produces 425 hp (317 kW / 431 PS) in standard form and up to 460 hp (343 kW / 466 PS) in the Patrol Nismo . Thanks to an ECU remapping, power will be boosted to over 493 hp (368 kW / 500 PS), surpassing any factory build. Finally, the SUV will gain uprated brakes featuring 8-piston or 12-piston calipers.

More: Nissan Gives Aussies One Last Shot At A New V8 Patrol

Both the “Iron Build” and “Urban Style” iterations of the Armada / Patrol will be unveiled at the next Tokyo Auto Salon in January 2027. However, the upgrades are not one-off concepts as they are destined for production. Following their debut, Kuhl plans to sell them either as complete cars or as individual parts through their network.

Kuhl Racing

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When the European Union announced its unprecedented defense investment agenda last year, many in America questioned whether Europe would deliver. Some argued we were too slow to rearm, too fragmented to strengthen our defense industry, or too accustomed to relying on U.S. military power. One year later, Europe’s answer is not a press release or promise. It is budgets approved, production expanding, procurement accelerating, and capabilities being delivered.

This is not a temporary surge. It is a structural shift to taking care of our own backyard. It will take time, to be sure, but the tracks are laid and the train has left the station. We invite our American friends to judge us not by old assumptions, but by the record we are building together.

When I last wrote in these pages , in 2025, we had a plan – Readiness 2030 , a nearly one trillion-dollar roadmap to buy new weapons and technological equipment. It signaled a fundamental rethink of the EU’s role in European defense spending, and big opportunities for American defense firms.

Today, we’re making that plan happen. Let’s look at what’s already advancing - Europe collectively spent 2.1% of GDP on defense in 2025, above NATO’s benchmark. Frontline allies like Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are moving toward spending 5% of GDP. Eighteen member states have already taken the next step under the EU’s new $200 billion defense financing program. And the first $6 billion-plus is already being deployed to help countries procure faster, strengthen defense production and deliver the capabilities Europe and NATO need.

Bigger budgets are only part of the story. Europe has fundamentally changed how it thinks about defense. The era when Europe outsourced too much of its security is over. New factories are opening, existing production lines are expanding, and private investment is flowing into next-generation drones, armored vehicles, artificial intelligence and electronic warfare. That investment is already translating into new industrial partnerships. At the NATO Summit, Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall announced plans to produce ATACMS missiles in a newly opened production plant in Germany, the first time the system will be manufactured outside the United States.

We’re also changing how Europe buys defense. For too long, 27 national defense markets operated under 27 different sets of rules, creating duplication, delays and unnecessary costs. The European Union is helping bring those markets together, making it easier for countries to procure jointly, invest together and give industry the predictable demand it needs to expand production and deliver capabilities faster. These initiatives and more are helping Europe move from fragmentation towards integration.

None of this comes at America’s expense. Quite the opposite. As Europe invests more in its own defense, the alliance as a whole becomes more resilient and better prepared for the threats we face together. Europeans remain the largest customers of the U.S. defense industry, accounting for nearly 40% of U.S. arms exports (worth $130 billion) – and supporting American manufacturing, innovation and high-skilled jobs. At the same time, more than half of European defense procurement continues to come from U.S. suppliers. Europe’s defense investment is creating a larger market, and as that market grows, so do the opportunities for American defense companies.

Let me be clear - this buildup is not about replacing the United States. It’s about becoming a stronger, more capable ally and balanced partner in a security relationship that benefits both sides of the Atlantic and keeps deterrence credible.

One year ago, we promised action. Today, Europe is delivering – and learning valuable lessons in what works and what doesn’t. A powerful example of this is Putin’s war in Ukraine. Together, the EU and its member countries have mobilized more than $300 billion in support for Ukraine, making Europe the largest provider of overall assistance. Importantly, a significant share of military support is being spent with U.S. defense companies through joint procurement and European-funded purchases, reinforcing both Ukraine’s defense and the transatlantic industrial base.

The lesson from Ukraine is clear: modern warfare rewards speed, adaptability and scale.

Europe has become very good, our defense commissioner Andrius Kubilius recently argued , at producing “haute couture missiles” – highly sophisticated and expensive systems. The next challenge is to combine that excellence and attention to detail with the ability to produce “good enough” capabilities at scale, including drones and other rapidly deployable systems. In other words, I am reminded of the English idiom “don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”

Later this year, the EU will formulate its vision for securing the region in our new European Security Strategy. It will help shape the next chapter of Europe’s defense transformation.

Stay tuned – we are just getting started.

Jovita Neliupšienė is the ambassador of the European Union to the United States.

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Call of Duty: Black Ops Season 5 has been revealed

The update drops on July 23, 2026

Big additions include new weapons, maps, and modes

With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 on the way, Activision has revealed the next batch of content coming to 2025's Black Ops 7 and the free-to-play Warzone battle royale.

As detailed on the Call of Duty blog , the major additions include five new multiplayer maps, three of which drop alongside the season's launch on July 23.

The one I'm most looking forward to is Jubilee, an all-new 6v6 environment set in a rural Japanese town. It's joined by Frequency, a remaster of a Black Ops 4 map, and a remake of Black Ops 2 's iconic Dig (itself a version of World at War 's Courtyard).

The two other maps, Tubro Tilt and Freerun: Descent, will be added in the subsequent Season 5 Reloaded update.

A wealth of new modes

(Image credit: Activision) Some new limited-time modes are dropping as part of the update as well: Overdrive Domination (a twist on the classic Domination mode that incorporates the power-up stars from Overdrive), Gauntlet Rush (which rotates between five distinct game modes), and, in the mid-season, the return of Cranked Moshpit.

It wouldn't be a new season without some fresh weapons and attachments, and the ones coming in Season 5 are some of the wildest yet.

At launch, you'll be able to unlock the FG42 assault rifle, a modernized version of the WW2 weapon with serious damage and almost no horizontal recoil, and the dual Gremlin SMGs, which trade the ability to aim down sights for extreme firepower and mobility.

Later in the season, the Mammoth LMG is being added and, true to its name, it's a massive gun with two high-power barrels that fire continuously in addition to a new mace melee weapon.

On the attachment side, completing weekly challenges will unlock the likes of the Jäger 45 Grid-Breaker Kit — a crazy pistol conversion that turns your side-arm into a portable EMP blaster — or the M34 Novaline Garand Conversion that transforms the futuristic burst-fire rifle into an old-fashioned top-loaded one.

If you're keen to dive in, Black Ops 7 is available now for PC, PlayStation 5 , PlayStation 4 , Xbox Series X and Series S , and Xbox One .