The European Union and the United Kingdom responded forcefully to a Russian jet’s protection of a shadow fleet ship being checked by Estonian naval forces in May 2025, imposing new sanctions aimed at damaging the illicit trafficking of Russian oil and gas in the Baltic Sea. Above, an oil tanker is moored in Novorossiysk, Russia, in 2022. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE WATCH STAFF NATO members in May 2025 penalized Russia for a sending a warplane into the alliance’s airspace near Estonia to protect an aging tanker that forms part of its “shadow fleet” of oil and gas tankers evading international…
The Watch
The U.S. Space Force will form its own special forces component under the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), its commander told Congress in April 2025. U.S. SPACE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The United States Space Force is readying its own special operations force (SOF) by training with U.S. Army special forces operators. The newest and smallest U.S. military service will create its own component within the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), according to congressional testimony from USSOCOM Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton. Fenton told the House Armed Services Committee in April 2025 that USSOCOM was partnering with the U.S. Space, Cyber…
A Norwegian F-35 Lightning II closes the gap to be refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 101st Air Refueling Wing during Nordic Response 24 on March 11, 2024. MST. SGT. ANDREW SINCLAIR/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF In “a huge milestone for Norway,” Lockheed Martin has delivered the final F-35A Lightning II aircraft to the Royal Norwegian Air Force, making the NATO ally the first F-35 partner nation to complete its scheduled procurement. “This is a big day, not only for the Air Force, but for the entire Armed Forces,” said Col. Ole Marius Tørrisplass, commander of 132…
Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division jump from a C-17 Globemaster III during an integrated joint forcible entry exercise for Swift Response 25 in May. SGT. DEVYN ADAMS/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF United States troops joined forces with 29 allied and partner nations in May 2025 to undertake Defender 25, a large-scale, three-phase exercise led by the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) designed to stress test NATO responses to potential external threats. Tens of thousands of troops are scheduled to participate in the exercise, which lasts into June. “DEFENDER 25 increases the lethality of the NATO alliance through large-scale tactical training…
Fallen Marines of the HMBS Flamingo are honored at a 45th anniversary memorial service. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) paid homage May 10 to four RBDF members killed 45 years ago, remembering Cuba’s deadly attack on the HMBS Flamingo with a solemn memorial service at Coral Harbour Base. The RBDF members’ “courage continues to serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration for all Bahamians in the face of adversity,” said Wayne Munroe, minister of national security. The ceremony began with a wreath-laying at the Cenotaph in the Garden of Remembrance in…
The U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Programs completed a sea-based hypersonic missile test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, in May 2025. Above, a conventional hypersonic missile test is conducted in 2024 at Cape Canaveral. SECRETARY OF DEFENSE OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS REUTERS The United States Navy successfully tested a sea-based hypersonic missile launch system at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, marking a significant step toward deploying the advanced weapons at sea, the service announced in May 2025. The test demonstrated the Navy’s cold-gas launch approach, which ejects the missile from a ship platform before ignition, ensuring safe…
German Chancellor Freidrich Merz, left, and NATO General-Secretary Mark Rutte address the media at NATO headquarters in Brussels in May 2025. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in May 2025 that NATO’s chief wants the 32 member countries to agree to start spending at least 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) on their defense budgets at a summit in the Netherlands the following month. In 2023, as the Russia-Ukraine war entered its second year, NATO leaders agreed that all allies should spend at least 2% of GDP. They are expected to set a new goal at…
A drone lies on the ground after performing aerial maneuvers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, on April 1, 2025. SENIOR AIRMAN ANDREW GARAVITO/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF As the United States military tests technology to thwart drone incursions at bases around the country, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) practiced the authorization and deployment of a counter-small unmanned aircraft system (C-sUAS) flyaway kit March 31-April 4 at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, during Exercise Desert Peak. A flyaway kit refers to a mobile package of counterdrone technology that can be deployed rapidly. “What NORTHCOM has done is proposed a process where…
U.S. President Donald Trump greets Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the White House in May 2025. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Days before his electoral win on April 28, 2025, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled a plan to increase Canadian defense spending by $18 billion by 2030. Carney’s plan would bring Canada in line with a long-standing NATO spending goal of 2% of member states’ gross domestic product (GDP) for defense. “It is possible we may need to do more,” Carney said at an Ontario campaign rally earlier in April. Canada has increased its force projection and upgraded…
USNORTHCOM and NORAD Commander Gregory M. Guillot told lawmakers in April 2025 that fighter jets will remain a crucial part of missile defense as the United States develops its Golden Dome for America space-based missile defense system. OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE WATCH STAFF The Golden Dome for America missile defense system, which envisions space-based technology deterring and destroying missile threats to North America, will have a large role for fighter jets, the commander of the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) told Congressional lawmakers in April 2025. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot,…