The United States Coast Guard will grow its specialized interdiction teams and set up its own Special Missions Command (SMC) to oversee the deployable forces. “We are forging our most elite operators into a single, razor-sharp instrument of national power,” said Adm. Kevin Lunday, commandant of the Coast Guard. The new command will strengthen the readiness, operational effectiveness and interoperability of the Coast Guard, which is responding to more national emergencies and events as the demand for specialized forces increases. The Coast Guard chose the existing Coast Guard C5I Service Center facility in Kearneysville, West Virginia, as the future site of the SMC. The command…
The Watch
The Utah National Guard collaborated with local partners in April 2026 to respond to a simulated attack on the United States. National Guard units responded to attacks on a water plant, a train and other events associated with an assault on critical infrastructure and heavily trafficked commercial sites. The first-ever exercise was dubbed Operation Wolverine in homage to the 1980’s film “Red Dawn,” which depicted a Cold War-era Russian-Cuban invasion of the U.S. “Exercise Wolverine builds on that concept, simulating what happens when an adversary targets the U.S. homeland. The exercise focused on responding to potential threats at home, testing…
A high-level Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) delegation visited the Netherlands in April 2026 to discuss the continued maintenance and modernization of the RBDF fleet with its Dutch shipbuilding partner, including three vessels undergoing repairs. The first of those ships, the HMBS Rolly Gray, is due to return to service by the end of the year. Damen, the Dutch shipbuilder, has played a crucial role in upgrading RBDF naval assets for more than a decade. The permanent secretary of The Bahamas Ministry of National Security said the relationship has benefited the Caribbean nation. “Permanent Secretary (Bridget) Hepburn opined that having…
A British aircraft carrier led a NATO anti-submarine exercise in the Norwegian Sea in May 2026 at a time of heightened activity in the region by Russian military forces. HMS Prince of Wales took part in the alliance’s Dynamic Mongoose exercise between May 18 and 29. The High North anti-submarine warfare exercise trains NATO forces to detect and counter enemy submarines through multithreat scenarios for submarines, surface ships and aircraft. The United Kingdom has made the defense of NATO’s northern flank a central pillar of its defense strategy. “This 2026 deployment delivers a clear signal of the U.K.’s steadfast commitment…
The United States sanctioned three people accused of money laundering and cash smuggling for the Cartel del Noreste (CDN), a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), in April 2026 after an extensive investigation by the Homeland Security Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration. The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also sanctioned two Mexican casinos. “As President Trump has made clear, Treasury will use all tools to protect our nation from violent cartels looking to reign terror on innocent Americans,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a news release. “Treasury will continue to target the diverse revenue streams that cartels rely…
Each day was an exercise in survival at Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center (JPMRC) 26-02 in Alaska, as United States and Canadian Soldiers trained in Arctic warfighting on an unforgiving battlefield while reinforcing their focus on lethality, readiness and operational capabilities. Getting through each day and night was the first order of business. The air reached as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. At that temperature, exposed skin can freeze in less than 10 minutes — even faster if wind chill makes it feel colder. “Everything’s harder in the Arctic,” Maj. Gen. John Cogbill, commanding general of the 11th Airborne…
The United States announced in April 2026 that it would invest $71 billion in the nuclear triad — air, land and sea launching capability — to maintain a strategic advantage over its adversaries. The money would fund new Columbia-class submarines, the B-21 Raider stealth bomber and stand-alone next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles to replace the Minuteman III. The upgrade of the nuclear stockpile is meant to signal to global adversaries, including Iran, that reckless threats of nuclear violence will be met with overwhelming force. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, testifying before Congress on April 30, said it would be money well…
King Charles III, on his first visit to Bermuda as monarch, officially opened a second Coast Guard station for the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) in May that will result in faster, more efficient operations in that part of the British Overseas Territory. “Our response times will be cut down, and this gives us the capability to work with our sister agencies in close proximity,” said Maj. Jeffrey Patterson, the RBR Coast Guard commander. Nearby residents welcomed Charles when he arrived at the Great Bay Coast Guard Station, St. David’s, on May 2, 2026, and the RBR Band and Corps of…
Norwegian F-35s scrambled to meet two Russian bombers in late April 2026 as the planes operated near NATO airspace. One bomber was carrying a cruise missile under its wing. Two Su-30SM Russian fighter jets shadowed the Tu-95MS bombers as they flew over northern Norway on April 30, reported the Barents Observer, a Norwegian newspaper. The cruise missile was identified as a Kh-101, commonly used in attacks against Ukraine, the newspaper reported May 8. “There may be a training element involved, but this is probably first and foremost signaling,” Lars Peder Haga, associate professor at Norway’s Air Force Academy, told the…
Mexico has deployed more than 100,000 security officers and has tightened security at high-profile tourist sites for the upcoming World Cup soccer tournament. The moves accelerated in April 2026 after an isolated mass shooting unrelated to cartel violence prompted authorities to speed up additional security measures ahead of the global event. The quadrennial sports tournament will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States beginning in June. The three partner nations have closely collaborated on joint security measures in preparation for a nearly six-week tournament expected to draw millions of visitors to North America. In March 2026 congressional testimony,…