The United States Coast Guard warned recently of increased activity from Chinese research vessels in the U.S. Arctic. The Coast Guard detected and responded to two of the vessels operating in the U.S. Arctic and was monitoring an additional three such vessels in or near those waters, an August 8, 2025, news release said. On August 5, a C-130J Super Hercules military transport aircraft from Air Station Kodiak responded to Chinese research vessels Ji Di and the Zhong Shan Da Xue Ji Di, which were traveling northeast in the Bering Sea. On August 6, crew members aboard the Coast Guard cutter Waesche again responded…
The Watch
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), known as drones, have become an increasing threat since the first attempt to fly an armed drone into the United States Capitol in 2012. Terrorists, organized crime and thrill-seekers now pose a significant danger to government facilities, operations and the U.S. homeland, according to testimony from top officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in July 2025. The top priority for defense and national security officials is gaining Congressional approval for an extension and strengthening of…
The U.S. Army’s air and missile defense (AMD) force “is undergoing the most significant modernization in our history,” the head of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) said August 5, 2025, at the 28th Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Alabama. Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, commanding general of USASMDC, said the effort reflects a shift to integrated deterrence in increasingly contested domains. Gainey noted that adversaries, such as the Chinese Communist Party and Russia, are increasingly turning to air and missile weapons as their tools of choice for deterrence, retaliation and conflict. “It’s no coincidence that as we…
United States and Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) commanders met on Andros Island at the U.S. Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in late July 2025 as the countries strengthen their longstanding partnership. The U.S. naval underwater testing facility is used for training and testing of submarines, and the visit was designed to more closely integrate the U.S. base’s capabilities with the RBDF’s mission to defend The Bahamas. RBDF Commodore Floyd Moxey made the courtesy call to Cmdr. Jeremy Reed at the AUTEC facility, which allows the U.S. Navy to use the 20-mile-wide and 150-mile-long flat-bottomed trench known as…
A Canadian defense panel has recommended that the country proceed with buying 88 F-35 warplanes as the unmatched fighter jet would best fulfill Canada’s obligations under international commitments such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and NATO. The $14 billion acquisition would be the largest overhaul of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in decades and would enhance the defense capabilities of the northernmost nation in North America. A military review board indicated that the government should continue with the purchase of the remaining 72 planes from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The contract, finalized in 2023, has been…
Shipbuilders from Canada, Finland and the United States have teamed up in a bid to build icebreaking vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard. Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana, Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland, Seaspan Shipyards in Canada, and the Finnish design and engineering company Aker Arctic have formed a partnership to deliver “the lowest-risk, fastest delivery solution” for expanding U.S. Arctic maritime capabilities, a news release said. A few weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed his “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law on July 4, 2025, providing $3.5 billion for construction of three medium icebreakers called Arctic security cutters, the four…
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) Coast Guard led 10 search and rescue operations, conducted 136 patrols and made four arrests in June 2025, Minister of National Security Michael Weeks told Bermuda’s House of Assembly in testimony July 18. He also acknowledged that, amid the successes, the Coast Guard still faces “ongoing challenges.” “This dedicated team of 14 full-time and 22 reserve Soldiers is fully mobilized for robust summer operations, reinforcing weekend and holiday shifts to maximize visibility and enhance response capabilities during peak boating periods,” Weeks told members of Parliament (MPs). He also noted, “they partnered with Police and Customs…
A warning to pilots was issued in the Svalbard archipelago in July 2025 after Norwegian officials determined there had been attempts to confuse flight traffic using deceptive spoofing techniques, a longtime Russian tactic. Demilitarized by treaty, Svalbard lies at the edge of the Arctic, a region rich in resources with increasingly more navigable shipping routes as sea ice melts. Although no actor has been identified in the latest incident, it is the first attempt to disrupt air travel to the world’s northernmost airport with regular passenger service. Spoofing deceives GPS receivers with false signals, causing aeronautic systems to calculate an…
Mexican security forces destroyed two drug labs and seized nearly 5,000 kilograms of methamphetamine in Sinaloa in July 2025, the latest high-profile raid in the heart of the Sinaloa cartel’s power center. The operation, conducted by the Mexican Navy, National Guard and other security forces, also captured chemical precursors and equipment. In total, the forces disrupted a $70 million illicit manufacturing operation, and the case has been turned over to the federal Attorney General’s office, according to a news release from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy. Along with the Navy, the Secretariat of Defense, which controls the Army and Air…
Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. Kyle C. Paul stepped into his new role as Deputy Combined Joint Force Space Component commander (DCJFSCC) of U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S) on July 21 at its headquarters at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. It’s a top role at U.S. Space Command, and Paul will be supporting Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, S4S commander and Combined Joint Force Space Component commander. Paul’s promotion is a milestone in U.S.-Canada defense collaboration and in the critical domain of space operations. “Brig. Gen. Paul’s position reflects the strength and depth of our allied integration,” Schiess said. “At S4S, we don’t…