The Danish military’s Arctic commander and a newly published report from a leading think tank have issued similar warnings: Russia will pivot to the Arctic after its war in Ukraine ends. Escalating rhetoric, ominous military activity and Moscow’s increasing geopolitical emphasis on the High North have concerned NATO’s Nordic members, all of whom have rapidly increased defense spending since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. “My expectation is that when the war in Ukraine is over, Russia will devote its efforts to arming itself in the Arctic,” Maj. Gen. Søren Andersen, commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command, said in an interview published in…
The Watch
The United States Army is deploying four surveillance and reconnaissance systems that were produced in-house to further secure the 3,145-kilometer southern border from illegal activity, including narcotics smuggling, the Army’s intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors (IEW&S) office said in December 2025. “Obviously, real-world operations are occurring down there. We have some capabilities down there that are helping with persistent surveillance, long-range detection and data integration,” said Brig. Gen. Kevin Chaney, head of the Army’s IEW&S office, according to DefenseScoop, a military affairs website. The reconnaissance and surveillance systems have different roles and can be deployed on the ground and in…
Canada announced a major integration of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in December 2025, creating a Joint Forces Command to increase cohesiveness and interoperability across air, land and sea. The new command will coordinate doctrine and force development and streamline resources in health care and other logistical needs shared by the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). “The establishment of the Canadian Joint Forces Command (CJFC) marks a significant step forward in modernizing our military. … This new command will allow the Canadian Armed Forces to be better integrated, agile, and ready…
Twenty members of the Haitian National Police-Coast Guard have completed two weeks of intensive capacity-building programs facilitated by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF). It was the kickoff of a new regional initiative supported by international partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Organization of American States (OAS) and Canada. The programs included UNODC small-boat law enforcement training and an OAS cargo and container rummage course, with financial support provided by the government of Canada. The programs reflect The Bahamas’ commitment to advancing sustainable, Haitian-led solutions to security issues and underscore the urgency of strengthening…
California National Guard (CalGuard) counternarcotic teams helped seize more than 1.2 million fentanyl pills in October, the highest monthly total to date in 2025, state data shows. The pills have an estimated street value of $6.45 million. The seizures are part of the state’s expanded drug enforcement efforts, backed by a $30 million state investment to bolster CalGuard’s role in drug interdiction and support programs targeting high-intensity drug trafficking areas. This year, CalGuard members, along with partner agencies, have seized more than 2,345 kilograms of fentanyl — more than 3 million pills — worth nearly $43 million. Since they started drug…
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) has announced that Maj. Thomas Wood has been appointed the regiment’s new second-in-command. “Major Wood’s extensive experience, both in operational service and in leadership development, makes him exceptionally well qualified for this key appointment,” Andrew Murdoch, Bermuda’s governor and commander-in-chief of the RBR, said in a news release on November 10, 2025. Wood joined the RBR in 2021 as its executive officer after serving in the British Army for more than 20 years. A graduate of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Wood has focused his career on soldier development and leadership training. A highlight was…
A Canadian patrol frigate completed a round-the-world mission to support allies and contribute to the safety and security of international waters in November 2025. The HMCS Ville de Québec returned to its home port in Halifax, Nova Scotia, after participating in collaborative missions spanning the world’s oceans, including supporting efforts of free navigation of the seas in the Pacific region. The Ville de Québec, a Halifax-class ship, departed in April to participate in NATO’s Operation Reassurance before joining the United Kingdom-led Carrier Strike Group 25 through the Mediterranean Sea. During the transit of the Suez Canal, Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb…
The USS St. Louis returned to its home port of Mayport, Florida, on November 10 following a surge deployment in support of the United States Coast Guard’s maritime interdiction mission. The U.S. Navy Freedom-variant littoral combat ship, which carried a Navy helicopter and embedded U.S. Coast Guard law enforcement detachment (LEDET), patrolled U.S. waters near the southern border with Mexico, under the direction of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). “The crew of St. Louis is grateful for the opportunity to support and defend the homeland,” stated Cmdr. Lee Shewmake, the USS St. Louis’s commanding officer. “We are always ready to…
The Mexican government ordered 1,000 troops to the state of Michoacan in November 2025 in the latest effort to combat transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). The deployment — which brings the total number of troops in the south-central state to more than 10,000 — came after the murder of a mayor who opposed the criminal groups. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said, in addition to the military deployment, the government would invest $3 billion in the state to address poverty, unemployment, and other social and economic factors that undermine public safety and national security. “To all Michoacan (residents), we say: You are…
The United States Coast Guard monitored a Russian spy ship operating about 15 nautical miles south of the Hawaiian island of Oahu in late October. An HC-130 Hercules airplane from Air Station Barbers Point and a Coast Guard cutter were dispatched to keep an eye on the intelligence vessel Kareliya by “conducting a safe and professional overflight and transiting near the vessel,” officials said in a news release November 13. The Coast Guard said it was still tracking the vessel’s movement near U.S. waters “to provide maritime security for U.S. vessels operating in the area and to support U.S. homeland…