Amalgam Eagle is an annual military exercise that emphasizes collaboration and compatibility between the Mexican and United States militaries. The exercise’s latest iteration on the southern border included the first joint training with a Mexican Black Hawk helicopter in the U.S. as medics practiced providing critical intravenous care amid the noise, jostling and unexpected challenges of flight. Mexican airmen flew a UH-60M Black Hawk to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona for the first combined live Tactical Combat Casualty Care exercise, which began at the end of September 2026. The keystone of the training was intravenous access procedures aboard both…
The Watch
On a diplomatic visit to Iceland in early October, United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to strengthening security in the High North, the Arctic and NATO’s northwestern flank, saying Iceland will play a critical role. “Iceland sits at the center of many of the questions surrounding the security and defense of our shared region,” he said. “Those threats are growing, which is why this focus on the Arctic in general and Iceland, in particular, is so critical.” Standing alongside Iceland’s Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Rubio said the strategically located NATO member is essential to…
Mexico sent 500 Army Soldiers supported by Blackhawk helicopters to the Rio Grande Valley in October 2026 to support a mirrored counter-transnational criminal organization (C-TCO) operation with the United States after someone fired on U.S. Coast Guard personnel conducting migrant interdictions in the area, according to a news release from Mexico’s Secretariat of National Defense (DEFENSA). The Mexican troops also carried unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS (C-UAS) systems to deter drug smuggling along the 1,345 kilometer-long border separating Mexico and the U.S. “This bilateral cooperation mechanism is carried out under the principles of reciprocity, shared and differentiated responsibility, mutual…
Finnish and Swedish fighter planes intercepted Russian warplanes flying over the Gulf of Finland in September 2026, the first joint response by NATO’s newest members as concern over Russian intentions grows among Nordic countries. The September 24 incident involved fighters from the Quick Response Alert program — a coordinated response by Nordic nations to Russian incursions — who identified a Tu-134 transport aircraft, MiG-31 fighter jets and Su-30 fighter jets in international airspace over the Gulf of Finland, according to the Finnish Air Force. According to Helsinki, it was the first joint operational “identification mission” for Finnish and Swedish forces…
Senior military officials in the United States are keeping a close watch on Chinese maritime activity off the coast of Alaska and into the High North, citing potential implications for homeland security. As of September 2026, four Chinese research vessels had been observed in the U.S. Arctic, compared to five throughout 2025, said Rear Adm. Bob Little, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Arctic District. Speaking at the Arctic Security Conference 2026 in Oslo, Norway, on September 16, Little said the Chinese vessels were operating in maritime areas surrounding Alaska, including the Aleutian Islands, through the Bering Strait, and as…
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) installed an Elite PI-1000 flight training simulator in August at its Air Wing Base. The RBDF commander, Commodore Floyd Moxey, visited the base in September to try out the simulator and get a briefing on what it means for Air Wing personnel. The Elite PI-1000, featuring Elite Simulation Solutions’ replica G1000 avionics platform, is an advanced aviation training device approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration and designed to replicate the Garmin G1000 glass cockpit environment. Its dual-screen replica layout, with emergency instruments and a simulated Garmin GFC 700 autopilot, provides training with…
The world’s only binational military command demonstrated its collaborative operational capabilities in August 2026 when the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), with support from the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), conducted Exercise Amalgam Dart, which simulated responses to attacks on the homeland. The exercise, which ran from August 24 to September 1, tested NORAD’s capabilities to defend against threats from the eastern and western approaches to North America. Amalgam Dart emphasized aerospace warning, aerospace control, and integrated air and missile defense capabilities executed by NORAD while USNORTHCOM supported the operation with the movement of personnel and equipment, according to…
North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), Danish and NATO forces conducted combined air defense training during Operation Arctic Vanguard 26-4.2 in September 2026, integrating fighters, aerial refueling, and airborne command and control to secure North America’s northern borders. Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert D. Davis, commander of the Alaskan NORAD Region, highlighted “our seamless integration with the Canadian NORAD region, the Kingdom of Denmark and our NATO allies. Together, we maintain continuous vigilance and credible deterrence across North America’s northern approaches.” As part of Operation Arctic Vanguard 26-4.2 from September 13 to 26: NORAD fighter aircraft operated from Goose Bay, Newfoundland…
The waters north of Alaska became a testing ground in September for a military partnership designed to protect one of North America’s most remote and strategically important approaches. From September 18-22, U.S. and Canadian forces conducted a joint maritime strike scenario in the Bering Sea as part of Operation Tundra Merlin, an enduring campaign intended to strengthen the defense of the Arctic and prepare U.S. and allied forces to respond rapidly to potential threats. The exercise brought together aircraft, surface ships and a submarine under the command and control of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and Alaskan Command. About 100 nautical…
New warfare technology has changed how authorities counter transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) along the 3,145-kilomoter border between Mexico and the United States, according to Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) data. Through August 2026, high-energy laser weapons have been decisive in downing some of the 400 unmanned aerial systems (UAS) disabled along the border, including 100 in August. “Frontline troops have the right authorities and are leveraging a highly capable network to thwart threats to the forces conducting the territorial integrity mission,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), said…