Canada committed to the largest defense procurement in its history in July 2026 by announcing an agreement with a German shipbuilder to supply 12 submarines to replace its aging fleet. The estimated $70 billion outlay will triple its existing fleet and bolster Canada’s ability to defend the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The Type 212CD submarine will be supplied by TKMS. Fellow NATO members Germany and Norway pledged to reduce their orders for the same submarine to provide Canada with two of the diesel-powered submarines as early as 2034. “These subs will strengthen our defense industrial base, they will deepen…
The Watch
A United States Navy littoral combat ship visited The Bahamas in August 2026 to strengthen interoperability and regional maritime security with a key Caribbean partner. The USS Cooperstown arrived August 13 in Freeport for a three-day visit that included tours of the 3-year-old vessel and for Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) personnel to share best practices and enhance interoperability. Sailors also participated in community outreach, including helping build a garden at the country’s only government-funded school for students with special needs. “This visit highlights the strong, enduring partnership between the United States and The Bahamas and underscores a shared commitment…
In three separate operations in the Pacific Ocean, the Mexican Navy seized about 5½ metric tons of cocaine and five small vessels, and arrested 22 suspects, Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) news releases said in early August. On land, Navy personnel located and destroyed a secret methamphetamine laboratory. In the first operation, during maritime surveillance patrols off Oaxaca, Navy personnel located two small vessels “that were sailing suspiciously,” a SEMAR news release said. During an inspection, Navy personnel seized 127 packages and 42 compartments containing cocaine that weighed about 3 metric tons. Ten suspects were arrested. In the second naval…
The District of Columbia National Guard’s 260th Special Purpose Brigade has acquired its first maritime security vessel, giving a U.S. Army unit in the nation’s capital its first dedicated waterborne platform and strengthening the guard’s ability to secure D.C. waterways, critical infrastructure and major national events. “This new maritime capability is more than a vessel — it is an investment in the partnerships, readiness and modern capabilities that enable us to better support the local, state and federal agencies that protect our nation’s capital every day,” said Army Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, D.C. National Guard interim commander. Washington’s…
Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) engineers fanned out across the High North in July 2026 to assess the military readiness for key infrastructure in a remote, often inhospitable region as part of the summerlong Nanook-Qimaavivut exercise. Teams of military engineers traveled to Nunavut, Labrador and far-flung airfields across the Arctic to evaluate the logistical viability of key assets. Their work will inform military planning decisions as Canada continues to ramp up its investment in Arctic defense. “Operation NANOOK-QIMAAVIVUT strengthens the practical foundations that enable effective Arctic operations,” said Lt. Gen. Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, in a July…
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) launched the Capacity Building Initiative on Cargo and Container Security for the Haitian National Police in July 2026 at the Coral Harbour Base in Nassau. The initiative was coordinated with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), the governments of The Bahamas and Haiti, and Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program. Senior government officials and other regional dignitaries gathered for a ceremony to kick off the initiative. They included Haitian Charge d’Affaires Dern Jovens Bonhomme; Jerusa Ali, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Phyllis Baron, from the General Secretariat…
United States Marines braved rugged terrain and scorching temperatures in July 2026 to install barbed wire along a challenging 24-kilometer stretch of the southern border in Arizona. The Marines’ work improved border security in a remote and challenging environment, bolstering the ability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to deter illegal migration and criminal activity in the Nogales and Naco districts. Coordinated by Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) as part of Operation Ardent Vanguard, the Marines’ effort reflected their ability to operate quickly and effectively in adverse conditions to meet the objective of securing the 3,145-kilometer border. Marines…
Mexico deployed 1,500 troops to counter cartel violence in Michoácan in August 2026, demonstrating its close cooperation with the United States on security issues. President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered nearly 1,000 Mexican Army Soldiers and nearly 600 National Guardsmen to the central Mexican state one day after the U.S. suspended agricultural inspections of the avocado industry, an important export market for Mexico. Mexico’s rapid response encouraged the U.S. to resume inspections on August 13. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson hailed Mexico’s response as beneficial to both countries and the latest example of a coordinated approach to countering transnational criminal organization…
A biennial exercise designed to protect a critical maritime passage between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans began in Iceland in August 2026 as the United States joined with NATO allies in the multidomain drill. Exercise Northern Viking involved the coordination of sea, air and command and control forces collaborating to defend the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap. Submarines in Russia’s Northern Fleet often use the passage to access the North Atlantic from their base in the Kola Peninsula. This year’s Northern Viking marked the 75th anniversary of a pact between the U.S. and Iceland in which Washington guarantees Iceland’s defense.…
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) seized 10 kilograms of cocaine along with two bales of marijuana and 54 Haitian migrants near the Exuma Islands in late July 2026. The RBDF interdicted a sailing vessel after receiving intelligence about the boat’s location and possible cargo from the United States, according to an RBDF news release. The HMBS Maderia deployed with U.S. aviation assets interdicted the vessel on July 27 around Norman’s Cay and Way Cay in the Exumas, a group of small islands in the central region of The Bahamas, reported the Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian newspaper. Royal Bahamas Police…