NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, left, bangs a gavel to signify the start of a meeting of NATO defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels on June 5. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Most United States allies at NATO endorse a goal to invest 5% of their gross domestic product (GDP) on defense and are ready to ramp up security spending even more, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said in June 2025. “There’s broad support,” Rutte told reporters after chairing a meeting of NATO defense ministers at the alliance’s Brussels headquarters. “We are really close,” he said on June 4.…
The Watch
Bermuda’s governor and high-ranking Royal Bermuda Regiment officers met with counterparts in Jamaica’s Defence Force in May 2025 to share best practices for defense. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT THE WATCH STAFF Bermuda’s governor and high-ranking officers in the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) met with their counterparts in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) in May 2025 to share best practices and explore closer collaboration between the militaries. Gov. Andrew Murdoch, who also serves as the RBR’s commander-in-chief, led the Bermuda delegation, which met with JDF Chief of Defence Staff Vice Adm. Antonette Wemyss-Gorman and other officials during the annual Rum Runner Exercise,…
Odd John Resser, emergency planning officer, walks in an underground shelter previously used by a youth club in Kongsberg, Norway. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In 1944, Norwegian resistance fighters in the town of Kongsberg blew up a cannon factory for occupying Nazi German forces during World War II. More than 80 years later, the municipality once again could be a target for sabotage and is preparing for war. Local authorities have dusted off Cold War-era bomb shelters, installed a new satellite communications system and are working with the military on plans to help a deployment of Western forces…
U.S. Army paratroopers with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and multinational medical teams tested drones to transport blood as part of Swift Response 2025 at Camp Adrian Rohn near Pabradė, Lithuania, on May 15, 2025. ELENA BALADELLI/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF In combat, seconds count, and a pint of blood can mean the difference between life and death. With that in mind, the United States Army has begun testing drones to deliver blood supplies to the battlefield. At Swift Response 2025, a multinational exercise held by NATO allies and partners in the High North and Baltic region, medics with the U.S. Army’s…
The four new SAFE BOATS purchased by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force will bolster the Caribbean nation’s ability to monitor its waters and increases the RBDF’s domain awareness. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) commissioned four new SAFE boats on May 30 at the RBDF Harbour Patrol Unit. The commissioning ceremony marked the culmination of a strategic defense procurement program that began in January 2024. The new vessels, which can reach speeds of 40 knots, are aimed at strengthening border security and territorial defense, enhancing maritime surveillance, and improving response capabilities during natural…
U.S. data indicates a drastic drop in fentanyl crossing the Mexico-U.S. border in 2025. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking have contributed to the decrease. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE WATCH STAFF Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in June 2025 that seizures of fentanyl, a dangerous narcotic, have fallen by roughly 40% since January. Sheinbaum attributed the drastic drop in fentanyl seized in the United States as evidence of her government’s success in combating drug traffickers in Mexico and collaboration with the U.S. in combating the drug trade. Since assuming office in October 2024, Sheinbaum…
The Norwegian-Russian border at Kirkenes, Norway, about 13 kilometers from Storskog, on October 16, 2023. REUTERS Following the example of its neighbor Finland, Norway put up fences at exposed sections of its border with Russia in May 2025, bolstering security at the Storskog border checkpoint. The action came a year after Norway closed its border with Russia. Authorities said they want to be more prepared in case Russia sends a wave of migrants toward Norway, as it did in 2015. That year, about 5,500 people from north Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia were flown north from Moscow to…
U.S. Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force–Southern Border move to a patrol base near Tucson, Arizona, on May 11, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, the task force aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity. STAFF SGT. REMOI BROWN/U.S. ARMY More than 1,100 troops have been approved to deploy to the Mexico-U.S. border, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) announced May 22. Among other duties, the service members with Joint Task Force-Southern Border will coordinate logistics, provide food, water and medical care to troops in the field, and build mobility routes and force protection infrastructure, USNORTHCOM said…
Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, drive the Sgt. Stout to the firing range during Formidable Shield 25 on May 6, 2025, in Andøya, Norway. CAPT. ALEXANDER WATKINS/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF The United States Army’s newest air defense platform recently held its first Arctic live fire alongside NATO allies, while another air defense unit deployed the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa for the first time. Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR), joined NATO allies in the Arctic Circle near Andøya, Norway, for Exercise Formidable Shield 2025, testing the…
Canada wants to join in the development and eventual deployment of the Golden Dome for America missile defense system. The space-based system would integrate with land-based missile defenses to shield North America from attack. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed reporters in the Oval Office about the project on May 16, 2025. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed in May 2025 that his government has discussed with United States counterparts the possibility of extending the planned Golden Dome for America missile defense system to cover Canada. Carney said it would make sense for Canada to…