NATO opened its newest Forward Land Forces (FLF) base in northern Finland in June 2026, establishing a frontline defensive presence in the eastern Arctic as a Russian military buildup continues to make Europe’s northeastern flank a strategic flashpoint. The June 6 ceremony also marked the first time that Sweden, which joined the transatlantic alliance in 2024, has placed its troops directly under NATO command. A battalion from the Norrbotten Regiment based in Boden, in northern Sweden, has been designated as the first force to deploy to the FLF in Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. Sweden’s Minister for Defence, Pål Jonson…
The Watch
The United States Navy hosted 18 allies and partners in a fleet exercise off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in June 2026, honing interoperability and force projection capabilities before naval forces headed north to take part in celebrations of the nation’s 250th anniversary. Fleet Exercise 250 involved warships and multinational aircraft engaged in antiair, antisubmarine and amphibious operations between June 22-29, which ended with “a scenario-driven event against a dynamic adversary,” according to a War Department news release. The U.S. 2nd Fleet hosted the exercise “to build cohesiveness, validate tactical procedures and strengthen the collective capabilities of the participating forces…
Mexico’s crackdown against organized crime continues to bear fruit as the government reported a daily average of 47.3 homicides in May, the lowest monthly figure since President Claudia Sheinbaum took office in October 2024 and the lowest number for May in 11 years. The president pointed to the persistent work of Cabinet officials as one reason Mexico has been able to curb the violence often perpetuated by transnational criminal organizations. “Look at the result – a 46% reduction in homicides,” Sheinbaum told reporters in June, pointing to the difference between the homicide rate of May 2026 and the one for…
The governor and premier of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) hosted the Jamaican prime minister in May 2026 to discuss further deepening the security relationship between the Caribbean states. Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s May 22 visit followed the March visit to Jamaica by TCI Gov. Dileeni Daniel-Selvaratnam and Premier Charles Washington Misick. In recent years, the Royal TCI Police and the TCI Regiment have trained in Jamaica, and Jamaican Constabulary Force (JCF) tactical officers have been stationed in TCI for the past year. Holness’s trip also was meant to commemorate the JCF’s success in bolstering TCI’s fight against…
Top Navy and Coast Guard officers from Canada, Mexico and the United States met in May 2026 to sign off on a new security protocol and discussed turning the 18-year-old North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI) into an even more effective tool against transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). Executive teams from U.S. Naval Forces Northern Command (NAVNORTH), U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, the Royal Canadian Navy Maritime Component Commander and the Mexican Secretariat of the Navy talked about how to move NAMSI forward to confront current threats. The executive meeting “brought together key maritime forces to enhance collaboration and strengthen operational…
Leaders of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) welcomed Smita Rossetti, the British high commissioner to The Bahamas, and Lt. Col. Simon Dack, Britain’s newly appointed defense attache to the Caribbean, to RBDF headquarters at the Coral Harbour Base in Nassau on June 2, 2026, during a visit aimed at strengthening long-standing ties between The Bahamas and the United Kingdom. The RBDF commander, Commodore Floyd Moxey, and Rossetti discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and security partnerships. Rossetti and Dack were given a tour of the Coral Harbour Base by Capt. Michael Hanna, commanding officer of the RBDF Southern Command.…
A third United States Army division has assumed command of security operations on the southern frontier with Mexico as the 1st Armored Division in May 2026 took control in a transfer of authority ceremony at Fort Huachuca in Arizona, the headquarters of the Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB). Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), presided over the May 29 ceremony that saw the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) hand over the reins after a seven-month deployment. “Over the past seven months, through synchronized planning, rapid mobility and persistent presence, we’ve enhanced southern border security…
Canada’s $1.9 billion purchase of 26 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) from the United States adds advanced long-range missile capabilities to its land and maritime defenses for the first time. Ottawa’s June 2026 announcement formalized the purchase under the Foreign Military Sales program administered by the U.S. State and War departments. The HIMARS will have integrated features that allow them to fire anti-ship missiles, bolstering coastal and Arctic defenses, the government news release said. “Canada’s Armed Forces (CAF) must have the capabilities required to meet today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges. The long-range missile capability is a critical step in…
Colombian Aerospace Force (CAF) officers met with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) commander and high-ranking Bahamian officials in May 2026 to discuss deepening cooperation in surveilling, disrupting and destroying illegal smuggling networks that have connected South America’s top cocaine producer with a contraband transit point to the United States. The Bahamas Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe, Permanent Secretary Bridgette Hepburn and RBDF Commander Floyd P. Moxey, along with his executive leadership team, met CAF representatives on May 7 at the RBDF’s Coral Harbour Base headquarters in Nassau. The discussions centered on formalizing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between…
The United States State Department implemented an executive order from President Donald Trump in early 2025 designating eight transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, as foreign terrorist organizations, or FTOs. This expanded the government’s legal authorities to purge the deadly drug cartels from the U.S. The State Department added another five Latin American TCOs to the FTO list in 2025. The directives outlined how these organizations pose a significant threat to U.S. security through drug trafficking, violence and intimidation. The order expands the available means to deliver consequences against the cartels, to include the use of anti-terrorism authorities that have been…