Norway’s chief of defence visited the United States Northern Command in July 2026, meeting with USNORTHCOM’s Commander Gen. Gregory M. Guillot to discuss how the NATO allies can strengthen interoperability and strategic collaboration in the Arctic. Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen’s July 15 visit to USNORTHCOM’s Colorado headquarters “focused on maximizing combined defense capabilities and operational synchronization in the Arctic and High North,” according to a USNORTHCOM news release. Guillot and Kristoffersen explored ways to further integrate alliance forces through collaborative training and joint operations with the aim of maintaining the region’s security and stability. “Both leaders emphasized that deepening ties between…
The Watch
Mexico and the United States jointly opened a New World screwworm fly production facility in June 2026 to thwart the advance of a pest that threatens livestock and agricultural production in both countries. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, U.S. Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins and U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson opened the facility in Metas in Chiapas state in southern Mexico. It will produce sterile flies, a technique that has proved successful in past outbreaks. “The cooperation we are advancing today reflects the commitment of President Trump and President Sheinbaum to deliver tangible solutions and measurable results. By combining expertise, resources,…
Vice Adm. Dan Charlebois assumed command of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) from Vice Adm. Angus Topshee on June 16, 2026, at a change-of-command ceremony presided over by Gen. Jennie Carignan, chief of defence staff, at the HMCS Star in Hamilton, Ontario. “I am humbled and honoured to assume the watch as Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy,” Charlebois said, according to an RCN news release. “Our sailors, together with our civilians and the families who support them, are the foundation of everything we do.” Charlebois is the 39th commander of the RCN. He has served in command and staff roles, most recently…
Five officers of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) attended the executive meeting of the North American Maritime Security Initiative (NAMSI), the premier multilateral maritime security forum in the western hemisphere, in Norfolk, Virginia, in May. Naval Forces Northern Command (NAVNORTH) hosted the event, whose theme was Breaking Barriers to Cooperation. RBDF Capt. Glenn McPhee, Capt. Michael Hanna, Capt. Derrick Ferguson, Cmdr. Valentino Rolle and Cmdr. Sidney Whyms participated as guest delegates. NAMSI is a trilateral forum that includes Canada, Mexico and the United States, but it is exploring future integration of The Bahamas. The NAMSI executive meeting provides a…
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 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.…