The Svalbard archipelago, containing nine principal islands, lies well north of the Arctic Circle and nearly 1,000 kilometers north of Tromsø, Norway’s largest northern city. The island’s population of about 3,000 mainly works in trapping and coal mining. In the summer, tourists come by boat. For much of its history, until a 1920 treaty guaranteed mining rights to several countries, Svalbard was an isolated place in an extremely harsh climate, far from geopolitical concerns. That is changing. In the past several years, Russia — which has treaty rights to Svalbard — has acted in an increasingly provocative manner. In 2022, Russian…
The Watch
The U.S. Army is outfitting troops with the 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team with the latest technology to surveil the Mexico-U.S. border and alert U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents of illegal border crossings and drug smugglers. From high-tech headwear and a force reorganization designed to help Soldiers move through rough, unfamiliar terrain to tiny drones that can spot illegal activity, the troops are learning to operate the new equipment. The Stryker Brigade Combat Team, also known as the Mountain Warriors, is based in Fort Carson, Colorado. About 2,400 brigade troops arrived at the southern border in March to secure…
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) announced in August 2025 that it would spend about $28 million to outfit its Halifax-class frigates with advanced counter-drone and surveillance technology to adapt the workhorse naval ships to rapidly changing technological warfare and increased risk in Canada’s extensive Arctic and maritime domains. The six state-of-the-art uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) will enhance the RCN’s ability to conduct long-range surveillance and targeting operations and achieve domain awareness of the 160,000 kilometers of coastline in its Arctic Archipelago. Initial operational capability for the Class 2 UAS systems is scheduled for 2028 and anticipated to be fully operational…
The Bahamas Military and Maritime Academy (BMMA), partnering with members of the Rhode Island National Guard (RING), held its first Common Faculty Development-Instructor Course (CFD-IC) August 4-15. The course was designed to improve instructional methods, strengthen curriculum delivery and promote adult learning. The program brought together 16 participants and seven observers from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and BMMA faculty, as well as three RING course facilitators. Attendees experienced more than 80 instructional hours from group and individual presentations. The course facilitators from RING — Sergeants 1ST Class Timothy Baker and Ryan Gilligan, and Staff Sgt. Nicodemus Manzotti —…
U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers traveled to Iceland in August 2025, the fifth Bomber Task Force Europe deployment of the year. The bombers, from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, then were escorted to the Ørland Air Base in Norway on August 9 by Spanish Air and Space Force warplanes and deployed on their first air security mission in the Nordic country. The three bombers from the 345th Bomb Squadron arrived to integrate with NATO allies for advanced training in warfighting capabilities and readiness. The U.S. bombers (nicknamed BONES) were escorted by Spanish Air and Space Force EF/A-18M Hornets operating…
The United States Coast Guard warned recently of increased activity from Chinese research vessels in the U.S. Arctic. The Coast Guard detected and responded to two of the vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic and was monitoring an additional three such vessels in or near those waters, an August 8, 2025, news release said. On August 5, a C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to Chinese research vessels Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, which were traveling northeast in the Bering Sea. On August 6, crew members aboard the Coast Guard cutter Waesche again responded…
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), known as drones, have become an increasing threat since the first attempt to fly an armed drone into the United States Capitol in 2012. Terrorists, organized crime and thrill-seekers now pose a significant danger to government facilities, operations and the U.S. homeland, according to testimony from top officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in July 2025. The top priority for defense and national security officials is gaining Congressional approval for an extension and strengthening of…
The U.S. Army’s air and missile defense (AMD) force “is undergoing the most significant modernization in our history,” the head of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) said August 5, 2025, at the 28th Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of USASMDC, said the effort reflects a shift to integrated deterrence in increasingly contested domains. Gainey noted that adversaries, such as the Chinese Communist Party and Russia, are increasingly turning to air and missile weapons as their tools of choice for deterrence, retaliation and conflict. “It’s no coincidence that as we…
United States and Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) commanders met on Andros Island at the U.S. Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in late July 2025 as the countries strengthen their longstanding partnership. The U.S. naval underwater testing facility is used for training and testing of submarines, and the visit was designed to more closely integrate the U.S. base’s capabilities with the RBDF’s mission to defend The Bahamas. RBDF Commodore Floyd Moxey made the courtesy call to Cmdr. Jeremy Reed at the AUTEC facility, which allows the U.S. Navy to use the 20-mile-wide and 150-mile-long flat-bottomed trench known as…
A Canadian defense panel has recommended that the country proceed with buying 88 F-35 warplanes as the unmatched fighter jet would best fulfill Canada’s obligations under international commitments such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and NATO. The $14 billion acquisition would be the largest overhaul of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in decades and would enhance the defense capabilities of the northernmost nation in North America. A military review board indicated that the government should continue with the purchase of the remaining 72 planes from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The contract, finalized in 2023, has been…