Canadian and U.S. warplanes intercepted Russian bombers near Alaska in February 2025. Such intercepts, like the 2020 incident pictured, are routine, the command stated. NORAD REUTERS Several Russian strategic bombers and fighter jets were intercepted by North American air defense forces as they flew over international airspace near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said. The aircraft, which were identified on February 10, 2025, did not enter United States or Canadian airspace and did not pose a threat, the joint Canadian-U.S. command said in a statement. NORAD added that the Russian flights were in no way related to…
The Watch
Royal Canadian Navy officer Vice Adm. Angus Topshee, commander of the Royal Canadian Navy, welcomes guests to the B Jetty opening ceremony on February 5, 2025. The infrastructure upgrade to replace two World War II-era jetties and marks a major capability upgrade for the Canadian Armed Forces. THE LOOKOUT THE WATCH STAFF Canada’s second-largest naval base marked a historic infrastructure investment in February 2025 with the completion of a jetty able to accommodate a new generation of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) vessels, strengthening the ability of the RCN to defend the Canadian and U.S. Pacific coasts. The new jetty is…
Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command, testifies at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee on February 13, 2025. REUTERS THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Department of Defense needs more robust technology and expanded authority to counter numerous incursions by small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) at U.S. military installations, the commander of United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told lawmakers on February 13. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot revealed more details about the military’s drone challenges at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. “The primary threat…
Elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Jalisco Security Secretariat guard one of four armored vehicles that were seized from drug cartels in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco State, Mexico, in February 2025. The raid netted four arrests, and authorities seized material to make explosives, video surveillance cameras, tactical equipment and several firearms. REUTERS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Canada on February 11 named a former deputy commissioner with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as the country’s fentanyl czar, hoping to show the U.S. it is working to prevent production and distribution of the synthetic opioid. During his more than 20 years in the…
Elements of the Mexican Army, the National Guard and the Jalisco Security Secretariat guard one of four armored vehicles that were seized from drug cartels in Tlaquepaque, Jalisco State, Mexico, in February 2025. The raid netted four arrests, and authorities seized material to make explosives, video surveillance cameras, tactical equipment and several firearms. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.S. government is formally designating eight Latin American crime organizations as foreign terrorist organizations, upping its pressure on cartels operating in the country and on anyone aiding them. The move, carrying out a January 20, 2025, executive order by President Donald Trump, names Tren de Aragua…
President Donald J. Trump issued a January 2025 executive order mandating the construction of a Golden Dome missile defense system to combat next-generation weapons. U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF The United States will build a “Golden Dome for America” missile defense system to shield the United States against “next-generation aerial attacks.” A January 2025 executive order “accelerates the development and deployment of hypersonic and ballistic tracking space sensor layers, proliferated space-based interceptors, a proliferated warfighter space architecture, capabilities to defeat salvoes prior to launch, non-kinetic missile defense capabilities and underlayer and terminal-phase intercept capabilities.” The order states that the missile…
The patrol craft escort HMBS Kamalamee, background, and another RBDF vessel intercept and disable a high-speed vessel carrying contraband in Bahamian waters near Ragged Island in December 2023. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF An executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump in January 2025 that will increase the U.S. Coast Guard’s presence between Florida and the Bahamas could allow the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) to move its assets to other areas, Bahamas Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said. “If the Coast Guard increases, for instance, its presence between the northern Bahamas and the U.S.,…
U.S. Air Force Airmen and Royal Canadian Air Force members in support of Operation Noble Defender pose for a group photo at Pituffik Space Base, Greenland. TECH SGT. CHRISTOPHER RUANO/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF At the top of the world, the United States and Canadian Forces are conducting Operation Noble Defender (OND) in austere Arctic conditions to defend North America from adversarial threats. This recurring operation at Pituffik Space Base (SB) in Greenland is crucial to United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) efforts to defend the homelands. OND is an air defense operation…
A soybean shipment waits in the export corridor of the Port of Paranagua in the state of Parana, south of Brazil, in January 2025. China Merchants Port Holdings Co. Ltd. controls 90% of the port. REUTERS DIÁLOGO AMERICAS Peru’s Port of Chancay runs the risk of becoming an important organized crime hub, not only in Latin America but also internationally. Such was one of the findings of a recent report by national security think tank International Coalition Against Illicit Economies (ICAIE). “In our report we consulted experienced Peruvian police officers, who agreed that both Peruvian groups and transnational organizations, such…
U.S. Soldiers from the Georgia National Guard work alongside U.S. Customs and Border Protection to conduct train inspections in Uvalde, Texas, on February 12, 2025. U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are among the most recent troops to arrive at the Mexico-United States Southern Border in February 2025. The deployment of troops support the presidential order clarifying the military’s role in protecting the territorial integrity of the United States and to achieve operational control of the 3,145-kilometer border. About 500 Soldiers from the Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion from the Fort Drum, New York-based division have…