Canada continued to modernize its naval force in April 2026 by launching its latest Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV). The Canadian Coast Guard ship (CCGS) Donjek adds to the NATO member’s ability to maintain domain awareness in the Arctic region. The Donjek, which departed the Halifax Shipyard, marks the latest product of Ottawa’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and bolsters the country’s Arctic fleet, reported the High North News. The 104.7-meter Donjek launched after being transferred from Irving Shipbuilding’s land-level facility in Halifax aboard a semi-submersible barge. Another CCGS icebreaker, CCGS Sermilik, is under construction and slated for delivery in 2027. “The launch…
The Watch
Mexican security forces captured a top commander of the deadly Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) after an enormous military operation tracked him down. Audias Flores Silva — known as “El Jardinero” or The Gardener — was found hiding in a drainage pipe after about 500 members of the security forces closed in on him in the western state of Nayarit on April 27, 2026. Officials said Flores, 45, was considered the right-hand man of Mexico’s former most-wanted criminal, CJNG leader Rubén “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, who died in February after suffering injuries in a battle with Soldiers trying to arrest…
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) announced a coordinated response to increased migration to the British Overseas Territory (BOT) in April 2026 after an emergency meeting of TCI’s acting governor, premier and other top military and law enforcement officials. The Royal Turks and Caicos Island Police Force, the TCI Regiment and the TCI Border Force will increase air surveillance, expand land and marine patrols, and toughen enforcement against illegal immigration to combat the surge of migrants, reported Newsline TCI. “Authorities also emphasized short-term collaboration with local stakeholders and regional partners, while setting medium- to long-term priorities aimed at enhancing national…
The United States Navy commissioned the newest addition to its fleet of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, on April 25, 2026. The USS Idaho, with its enhanced stealth, sophisticated surveillance and special warfare advancements, is the nation’s 26th Virginia-class submarine. Cmdr. Chad J. Guillerault, Idaho’s commanding officer, said he was “honored to be the captain of a crew so mighty that they have outshone all those before them.” The ceremony culminated a multiyear construction process. The Idaho was built as part of a teaming agreement between General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII-Newport…
The crew of the HMBS Nassau, one of two offshore patrol vessels in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), completed its annual sea training readiness and range training in March 2026. The course consisted of weapons training — including a live-fire exercise — small boat handling, navigation, line handling, vessel maneuvering, watchkeeping, emergency response procedures, coordination during patrol operations and adherence to established maritime protocols. “The course provided intensive instructions in core maritime competencies essential to safeguarding The Bahamas’ territorial waters. It included both theoretical and practical components focused on seamanship, operational awareness, and safety procedures at sea,” according to…
Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada announced a multibillion-dollar plan in March to substantially expand the country’s military capacity in the Arctic, building three military bases in the northern territories, making improvements at another base, and strengthening related infrastructure to assert sovereignty over the increasingly contested region. “With this plan, we are taking control of our future,” Carney said. “We are taking full responsibility for defending our sovereignty,” Carney, surrounded by troops, said at an airplane hangar in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, on March 12, 2026. “The government’s first job is to keep you safe.” The highlight of the plan will…
For the second straight year, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) has surpassed its Regular Force recruiting target. The CAF enrolled 7,310 new members in fiscal year 2025-26, topping its target of 6,957 and marking the most annual enrollments in more than three decades. Building on that progress, the CAF has raised its goal to 8,200 enrollments for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Women accounted for 17% of new recruits, The Defense Post website reported, while 1,400 permanent residents were enrolled, the most since 2022. The overall increase in recruiting follows an increase in the salary and other historic changes to compensation packages…
The United States Coast Guard announced plans in April 2026 to homeport two icebreakers in Alaska, the latest move to bolster domain awareness and security in the western Arctic. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said two Arctic Security Cutters would be based in Alaska by the end of 2028. “Homeporting these two Arctic Security Cutters in Alaska is a decisive step forward in securing America’s Arctic frontier,” Mullin said in an April 16 Coast Guard news release. “These vessels will deliver the enduring operational presence our nation needs to protect sovereignty, deter foreign adversaries, and safeguard vital resources for…
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF), in coordination with the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Regiment and the TCI Border Force, confronted a wave of illegal immigration involving Haitian boats in April. Nearly 170 migrants were apprehended within a week. The immigration surge began on the morning of April 8, 2026, when the RTCIPF was alerted to a vessel landing at Joe Grant Cay, an island near East Caicos. Multiple agencies, including immigration officials and law enforcement, responded. Seventy-seven people were taken into custody, including unaccompanied minors. All the migrants were transported to South Caicos, where they…
The United States Coast Guard Cutter Escanaba seized 2,046 kilograms of cocaine valued at $33.9 million while patrolling off the coast of Ecuador in April 2026, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) news release. A U.S. maritime patrol aircraft notified Escanaba that a crew of a suspected narco-terrorist vessel was throwing contraband overboard. An MH-65 Dolphin, launched from the Escanaba, located the suspected drugs near Manta, Ecuador. The cutter then dispatched its over-the-horizon cutter pursuit vessel to coordinate with the helicopter crew to recover the contraband, the release stated. The Escanaba’s interdiction was part of Operation Pacific Viper, launched in August…