Mexico and the United States demonstrated close cooperation and command and control capability during a September 2026 joint exercise involving unmanned aerial systems (UAS) and counter-UAS tactics along the California-Mexico border. Àguila Alta, or “High Eagle” in English, unfolded over several weeks in the San Diego and Tijuana regions. “The purpose of this operation is to achieve a more secure border by detecting and disabling commercially available drones used by criminals along the shared border to monitor authorities during human and drug trafficking,” read a September 9 statement from the Mexican Secretariat of National Defense (DEFENSA). In recent years, transnational…
The Watch
The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people, were solemnly remembered in September 2026 as U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) marked the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and reflected on how the tragedy reshaped homeland defense. The two commands, which share a headquarters at Peterson Space Force Base and are led by the same commander, remain central to the mission of defending North America. At a ceremony at nearby Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, leaders of the world’s only binational command emphasized that the defense of North America remains a…
The United States signed an agreement with Denmark and Greenland in September to establish a more robust U.S. military presence in Greenland with exclusive “permanent basing rights,” strengthening Arctic and North Atlantic security. “This is tremendous for Europe and for the United States and for everybody,” said President Donald J. Trump before the agreement was signed on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 22. “And for Greenland, it’s going to be incredible.” Officials from the U.S., Greenland and Denmark negotiated for months before a deal was reached. About two-thirds of Greenland lies within…
North Carolina National Guardsmen and United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents rescued a man who was bitten by a snake as he crossed into the U.S. from Mexico. The team deployed an uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), or drone, with thermal detection capabilities to locate the injured man, a War Department news release said. While on patrol in Rio Grande City, Texas, National Guard Staff Sgt. Sethone Kan, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), got a call from the Fort Brown Border Patrol Station and the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office about the man, who was in distress after…
A British warship visited the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in August 2026 to train with the TCI Regiment in disaster response and medical training. The HMS Trent’s visit represented part of an ongoing effort by the United Kingdom and its overseas territories to respond effectively to hurricane-related disasters. Trent embarked members of 24 Commando Royal Engineers on Providenciales for the training, which included road clearing and emergency first aid. The TCI Governor’s Office posted on Facebook that the visit demonstrated the strong partnership between the British Overseas Territory and the U.K. “(It was) a productive visit bringing together training,…
About 1,600 drafted recruits reported for duty in August as the first full group under Denmark’s new conscription system. Under the new model, announced in 2024 and implemented this year, conscripts will serve 11 months instead of four, men and women will serve on equal terms, and the number of recruits will increase to 7,500 annually by 2033 from 5,000. Most new recruits face five months of basic training followed by six months of operational service. Conscription periods for the Royal Life Guards, the Guard Hussar Regiment, cybersecurity roles and on board the Royal Ship Dannebrog will be 12 months. The program’s…
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have launched Operation Nanook-Tuugaalik 2026, a segment of Operation Nanook that runs from August through October and focuses on maintaining a maritime presence in the Arctic. During Nanook-Tuugaalik, the CAF will enhance regional awareness, strengthen its ability to operate effectively in remote northern environments, and work with allies to perfect a unified defense. “Tuugaalik showcases the professionalism and adaptability of our sailors operating side by side with allied partners in one of Canada’s most demanding maritime environments,” Rear Adm. Pascal Belhumeur, commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic, said in a CAF news release. “These operations strengthen how we…
A United States Coast Guard cutter intercepted a drug-smuggling vessel in August 2026, seizing $54.5 million in cocaine and arresting five suspected smugglers. Coast Guard officials said the interdiction demonstrated an aggressive approach to countering transnational criminal organization (TCO) efforts to funnel drugs into the U.S. The cutter Richard Dixon, in tandem with U.S Customs and Border Protection aircraft, located the boat about 80 kilometers south of Puerto Rico. On board was 3,289 kilograms of cocaine. “This interdiction shows what ready crews and strong interagency partnerships can achieve in the maritime domain,” Coast Guard Southeast District Commander Adm. Adam Chamie…
Denmark will expand it defense of the Faroe Islands, an archipelago in the North Atlantic, to bolster its Arctic military presence and better protect strategic infrastructure, the Danish government announced in August 2026. Denmark will patrol the skies over the islands with F-35 warplanes and strengthen its maritime presence in the archipelago, which lies between Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom and near the strategic Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap, a vital sea-lane vital for Russian submarines based in the Kola Peninsula. Denmark is responsible for the defense of the remote islands with a population of about 57,000, and the Faroese…
Mexican authorities have apprehended Jorge Luis N, alias “Koki,” leader of the Pueblo Unido criminal group, along with two accomplices, Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said on the X social platform in August 2026. Koki is accused of drug distribution, kidnapping, human trafficking, extortion, attacks against authorities and vehicle burnings. “Based on information obtained by the National Intelligence Center,” agents from the Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection, the Ministry of National Defense, the Secretariat of the Navy and the National Guard, along with the Attorney General’s Office of the State of Tabasco, participated in the…