Global defense spending is surging to unprecedented levels, with 2024 marking a staggering USD 2.48 trillion in military expenditures and even more ambitious commitments on the horizon. The Janes 2025 Defense Budget Annual Report projects a 3.6% rise or an additional USD 88.4 billion in 2025, fueled primarily by expanded military budgets in Europe, Russia, Northeast Asia, and the Middle East.
At the historic June 2025 NATO Summit in The Hague, the Netherlands, NATO Heads of State, Government, and Allied leaders adopted a summit declaration committing to invest 5% of GDP in defence. Of this, 3.5% will be directed toward core defence requirements and 1.5% toward defence- and security-related investments such as infrastructure and industry. This marks a major uplift from the previous benchmark of 2% of GDP and signals the alliance’s heightened urgency to adapt to a rapidly shifting global security landscape.
Amid ongoing regional tensions, the Thai government is pressing ahead with key military procurements to bolster national defense and uphold strategic interests. Most recently, the Royal Thai Air Force secured Cabinet approval for the phased acquisition of 12 Gripen-E/F fighter jets over the next decade, at an estimated cost of THB60 billion. This investment is designed to strengthen air superiority amid growing regional power competition and ensure Thailand maintains credible deterrence capabilities.
In a parallel move, the Royal Thai Navy received Cabinet approval for the purchase of two new frigates at a cost of THB35 billion. The acquisitions are expected to significantly enhance Thailand’s maritime security and expand its capacity to safeguard vital sea lanes and maritime resources, reinforcing the country’s strategic role in Southeast Asia.
With unprecedented urgency in global defense procurement, Defense & Security 2025 is set to play a pivotal role as an intelligence and procurement platform for governments and industry. Held biennially for 22 years, the event has established itself as ASEAN’s most influential tri-service defense and internal security exhibition, conference, and networking platform.
Taking place from 10 to 13 November 2025 at IMPACT Exhibition & Convention Center in Bangkok, the show is set to be the largest edition to date. It will host 580 leading exhibiting companies across defense sectors and 28 national pavilions showcasing global innovation. Over 350 high-ranking officials from 35 countries are expected to attend, alongside more than 26,000 professional visitors from 65 nations.
Defense & Security 2025 will showcase a wide range of technologies, from weapons systems, missiles, tanks, UAVs, and transport vehicles to naval vessels, satellites, and telecom equipment. Electronic defense systems, fire control technology, launchers, cybersecurity solutions, and disaster response technologies will also feature prominently.
For internal security, the exhibition will present cutting-edge surveillance technologies, including CCTV and intruder detection systems, alongside access control solutions, personal handguns, body armor, riot gear, protective equipment, night-vision technology, and advanced communication jamming devices.
Beyond the exhibition, the event will deliver an extensive programme of knowledge-sharing and live demonstrations. The International Seminar will address urgent issues such as how nations should respond to the rise of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) and what governance frameworks are needed for space security. Tech Talks and Live Demonstrations will further provide in-depth explorations of modern naval warfare, short range air defense (ShoRad), and the security aspects of space technology.
As defense technologies evolve at breakneck speed, nations face mounting pressure to act decisively—whether by strengthening deterrence, bolstering defensive strategies, or advancing autonomous systems and AI-driven surveillance. In this decisive era of heightened global defense, Defense & Security 2025 will be the platform where governments, industry leaders, and innovators converge to shape the future of security.
For more information about the event, visit us at www.asiandefense.com
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Thailand: Suspected explosive device destroyed at Phuket airport
June 25, 2025
Authorities have destroyed a suspicious object found in an abandoned motorcycle at Phuket International Airport on Wednesday evening. Officials from the police Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit and the K-9 police dog team conducted a detailed inspection of the motorcycle, which was left unattended on airport premises at about 7pm. An initial investigation revealed that an ...
- Cambodian soldier killed in clash with Thai army at disputed border
May 28, 2025
A Cambodian soldier was killed on Wednesday (May 28) after an exchange of gunfire with the Thai army at the border, a Cambodian army spokesman said, a rare fatality in a long sensitive frontier region. “One of our soldiers died during the fight, and there were some injuries, but we don’t have detailed figures yet, said ...
- Thailand: Man dies in failed bomb attack on ex-girlfriend’s home
May 26, 2025
The explosion occurred at a residence in the Tha Chana district of Surat Thani at around 8am. The 34 year old man, Surapong Thongnark, was pronounced dead at the scene, while three others sustained minor injuries. Following an argument with his ex-girlfriend Surapong rushed to his car and returned with a bomb. He threw the device ...
- Thailand: Bomb attack injures two officers in Pattani’s Yaring district
May 14, 2025
An explosive attack on a military truck belonging to the 44th Ranger Regiment Task Force in Pattani has left two officers injured. The attack took place at 1pm yesterday, May 13, when unidentified assailants planted a bomb in Yaring district. The explosive device, weighing approximately 15 kilogrammes, was hidden in the median of Highway 41. The ...
- Thailand: Bomb in Narathiwat kills police officer during murder investigation
May 5, 2025
A police officer tragically passed away following a bomb explosion at a lamppost in Narathiwat province. The explosion occurred as the police officer was retrieving evidence from a CCTV camera during an investigation into the fatal shooting of a blind elderly woman and her son on May 2. The explosion took place yesterday, May 4, at 1.30pm ...
- Thailand: Two more police officers murdered in Yala
April 28, 2025
Violence continued today in Thailand’s southernmost province of Yala, leaving two border patrol police officers dead and another injured. The officers were driving back from a health check-up when an improvised explosive device, planted under the road, detonated in Than Tho district at around 9.30am. The two victims have been identified as Pol Senior Sergeant Major ...
- Thailand: Four rangers injured by motorcycle bomb in Narathiwat
April 13, 2025
Four rangers were injured when a bomb hidden in a motorcycle with a sidecar went off near their housing unit in Rangae district on Sunday. Security cameras installed near the blast site showed an unknown number of men driving the motorcycle with a sidecar to Wat Chairattanaram, close to the sleeping quarters of Ranger Company 4503. ...
- Thailand: Volunteer escapes car bomb attack in Pattani
March 17, 2025
A female territorial defence volunteer today narrowly escaped a car bombing in Pattani province. The explosion severely damaged her vehicle, which caught fire. Emergency services responded promptly to assist at the scene. At 10am, today, March 17, the incident occurred in Mueang district’s Moo 2, Ban Cho Kapo, Karubi subdistrict. The volunteer, Suriyanee, was en route ...
- Malaysia tightens border security following deadly attack in Sungai Golok, Thailand
March 9, 2025
The police have confirmed that no Malaysian was involved in the shooting and explosion that occurred in Sungai Golok, Thailand last night. Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said security controls along the Malaysia-Thailand border will be tightened following the incident. “All police station chiefs and the General Operations Force have been ordered to step ...
- US, Thai troops detonate over 700 pounds of TNT during EOD training
March 3, 2025
About 30 U.S. and Thai troops braced themselves Sunday as more than 730 pounds of TNT and nearly 20 pounds of C4 detonated just over half a mile away. Hunkered inside a reinforced shelter, they listened in silence for 30 seconds, waiting for the telltale clatter of lethal shrapnel that could reach the bunker. The detonation, ...
- Thailand: Twenty-three people, including seven police officers, injured in bomb explosion in Yala
February 23, 2025
Twenty-three people, including seven police officers, were injured in a bomb explosion near a supermarket in Bannang Sata district, Yala province, on late Sunday. Bannang Sata Police chief Col. Pol. Ranon Surawit said the explosion occurred at 8.20pm local time and was believed to have been carried out by an armed group that authorities are tracking. ...
- Israel: Hostages released from captivity in exchange for 110 Palestinian prisoners after delay
January 30, 2025
First, hostage Agam Berger, and then later on Thursday, hostages Arbel Yehoud, Gadi Mozes, and five Thai citizens were released by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Berger was freed in the early morning with Yehoud and Mozes released hours later. In exchange, in the late afternoon, Israel released 110 Palestinian security prisoners, of which around 30 ...
- Japanese Yakuza Leader Pleads Guilty to Nuclear Materials Trafficking, Narcotics, and Weapons Charges
January 8, 2025
Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, of Japan, pleaded guilty in Manhattan, New York, today to conspiring with a network of associates to traffic nuclear materials, including uranium and weapons-grade plutonium, from Burma to other countries, as well as to international narcotics trafficking and weapons charges. “Today’s plea should serve as a stark reminder to those who imperil our ...
- Thailand: Bomb blast injures three policemen in Pattani’s Sai Buri district
January 4, 2025
Three policemen were injured when a bomb exploded yesterday morning near a school in Sai Buri district, local authorities said. The explosion, which apparently targeted officers from Sai Buri police station, occurred at 10.30am when they were about to set up a security checkpoint near the school in tambon Trohbon. The bomb was placed in the ...
- Thailand: Pipe bomb attack injures four officers at Narathiwat base
December 22, 2024
A brazen attack occurred yesterday, December 21, as assailants hurled a pipe bomb at the Border Patrol Police base in Narathiwat, leaving four officers with minor injuries. The incident, captured on CCTV, has prompted a manhunt ordered by local police. At approximately 6.37pm, the incident unfolded at the Border Patrol Police Operation Base 934, located in ...