Members of the Mexican National Guard, the Mexican Army and police units seized illegal drugs, guns and ammunition, and arrested 12 people in three separate operations in Puebla, Querétaro and Sinaloa states in early January. The seizures and arrests originated during an airport warehouse inspection, surveillance patrols and the execution of a search warrant. On January 7, 2025, during an inspection of a parcel delivery company’s warehouse inside the Querétaro Intercontinental Airport, National Guard members using X-ray equipment located and seized 32 kilograms of marijuana, 355 doses of packaged marijuana that were ready to distribute, 60 electronic cigarettes with cannabis extract,…
The Watch
The commander of the Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command Region in December 2025 outlined upgrades to continental defense and domain awareness that will benefit the world’s only binational military command. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Maj. Gen. Chris MacKenna pointed to large investments in F-35A warplanes, Over-the-Horizon (OTH) radar and other improvements as evidence of a strong, collaborative relationship with the United States and a boon for the national security of both countries. MacKenna told the military news website The War Zone that, although the recent military cooperation between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Russia is concerning, he…
The number of unregistered, illegally operated, aging ships traveling through the Arctic increased dramatically in 2025, helping Russia evade sanctions imposed after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine and posing environmental and potential national security threats. A new report by a Lithuania-based non-governmental organization (NGO) concludes that 100 such “shadow fleet” ships sailed through the Russian-controlled Northern Sea Route (NSR) last year, up from 13 in 2024. The Bellona Environmental Transparency Center warned that illegal activity greatly increased the risk of an environmental catastrophe in the fragile Arctic environment. “Lack of progress in ending of Russia’s unlawful war in Ukraine means…
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) has launched a fleet restoration initiative, shipping three RBDF patrol boats to a shipyard in the Netherlands for extensive refurbishment. The operation to load the vessels onto the MV Yacht Servant, a massive, semisubmersible heavy-lift ship that is transporting them to the Netherlands, occurred in December 2025. The HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna, HMBS Rolly Gray and HMBS Cascarilla will undergo extensive work at Damen Shipyards to extend their operational life, improve reliability and restore them to “optimal service condition” after years of deferred maintenance. The restoration also provides an important training opportunity for RBDF…
The Mexican Army and National Guard seized more than three dozen firearms, an enormous cache of ammunition and narcotics in four operations across the country in the first days of 2026. The Soldiers and Guardsmen also arrested three people in the sweeps in Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Oaxaca and Sonora as part of a continued effort to dismantle transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, in the country. The military operations demonstrate Mexico’s commitment to establishing security and stability along the shared border with the United States. The recent arrests and seizures follow a pattern established soon after President Claudia Sheinbaum assumed office…
The United States Coast Guard has a rare opportunity to make wholesale upgrades to its cybersecurity defenses, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) proposed in an October 2025 opinion article for the nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. Joel Coito, a CSIS defense fellow and U.S. Coast Guard commander, said the window of opportunity has been boosted by $25 billion in congressional funding, the result of rare political consensus among federal lawmakers on the importance of cybersecurity at the nation’s ports and maritime approaches. That consensus should be seized by policymakers to strengthen cyber defenses…
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ship HMCS Max Bernays returned to its home port in Esquimalt, British Columbia, in December 2025, just before Christmas, after a round-the-world voyage marked by a historic milestone. The Arctic Offshore Patrol Vessel (AOPV) reached the highest latitude for an RCN ship — 81 degrees 12.044 minutes north — in the Arctic Ocean, north of Alaska. The four-month deployment also saw the HMCS Max Bernays participate in exercises in the Indo-Pacific region. “From achieving a historic milestone in the Arctic to contributing to security and stability across the Indo-Pacific, His Majesty’s Canadian Ship Max Bernays has shown…
U.S., Mexican and Canadian Soldiers trained shoulder to shoulder during Fuerzas Amigas 2025 in December at Fort Hood, Texas, strengthening partnerships and enhancing disaster response readiness. It was the first time Canadian troops took part in the annual exercise, which is Spanish for “Friendly Forces.” The event, which rotates its location each year, focuses on multilateral disaster response that emphasizes mass casualty decontamination, hazardous materials operations, and urban search and rescue. Fuerzas Amigas enhances coordination among U.S., Mexican and Canadian disaster response units to strengthen readiness for real-world emergencies. Drills were conducted during the December 6-15 exercise. Most of the training…
Mexico and the United States agreed in December 2025 to share intelligence to thwart the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operating along their shared frontier. The agreement comes after transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, in Mexico increasingly have used drones in their criminal enterprises, including an attack on a government building in Tijuana in October. A December 11 meeting of the Security Implementation Group (SIG) involved a half-dozen U.S. agencies and their Mexican counterparts, according to a U.S. Department of State news release. “There was a topic of particular interest to the United States: the use of drones by…
Canada’s government has teamed up with satellite operator Telesat and manufacturer MDA Space to explore options for a multibillion-dollar, multifrequency satellite communications network to support the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in the Arctic, which has become a strategic global zone. The partnership is part of the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP-P), one of the key programs being led by the new Defence Investment Agency. ESCP-P’s goal is to supply the CAF with ultrahigh frequency narrowband and wideband satellite communications for requirements beyond line of sight in the Arctic. The cost of the program is estimated at more than $6.85…