In a complex sea and air operation, the Mexican Navy seized a semisubmersible “narco sub” and about 4 metric tons of cocaine off the coast of Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, in February 2026. Authorities apprehended three people during the mission, which involved an ocean patrol, two fixed-wing aircraft, two mobile-wing aircraft and two interceptor patrols. “In the last week, maritime operations have made it possible to seize nearly 10 tons of this drug,” Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection Omar García Harfuch said February 19 in a post on the social platform X. “This represents a direct and multimillion-dollar blow to the…
The Watch
The Canadian government has chosen Stantec, a design and consulting company, and its consortium partners to deliver the first phase of the nation’s Arctic Over-the-Horizon Radar (A-OTHR) project, providing long-range, early-warning coverage of the continent’s northern regions. A-OTHR is part of an investment by Canada’s Department of National Defence in the next two decades to modernize and upgrade North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) infrastructure, which detects, validates, and warns of aerospace and maritime threats. Defence Construction Canada, which is wholly owned by the government, chose the Canadian companies to implement the plan under an integrated project delivery model, where Stantec leads…
Mexican Secretary of National Defense Gen. Ricardo Trevilla Trejo and President Claudia Sheinbaum led a celebration of the Mexican Army’s 113th anniversary on February 19, 2026, in Oriental, Puebla, emphasizing that the Army not only defends borders but protects public security and well-being. In times of disaster, the military “has saved the lives of thousands of Mexicans,” Trevilla said. Sheinbaum reiterated that point, saying, “The Mexican Army … supports public safety and builds the future. Its military engineers have participated in the construction of hospitals that expand access to health care, and the construction and modernization of airports that connect strategic regions, and…
Finland announced the regional capital of Lapland will host a NATO Forward Land Forces (FLF) headquarters staffed by Finnish, Swedish and other NATO members to establish a permanent logistical and planning hub for the defense of the Arctic. Rovaniemi, a city of 66,000 in the interior of Finland’s northernmost province, will host the base, which can be expanded to accommodate brigade-level force strength of Finnish forces with additional capability for NATO forces during exercises or conflict, reported FYE, the Finnish national broadcaster. “The focus of FLF Finland’s battlegroup activities will be in Northern Finland and, largely supported by Rovaniemi and…
The United States donated nearly $900,000 worth of equipment to the Bahamas Ministry of National Security on February 23, 2026, to help combat drug trafficking in The Bahamas and the region. The assets include a drug incinerator, six boat lifts and two handheld scanners to detect illegal narcotics. Bahamas Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe said the equipment will significantly improve the nation’s ability to track down and destroy illegal drugs in Bahamian waters. “For the traffickers who think they can exploit our geography, please be warned that we’re building a furnace for your enterprise, and this incinerator is only the…
The United States Department of War’s senior official in charge of coordinating counter-narcotics policy and other U.S. diplomatic, military and law enforcement officials met with counterparts in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) in February 2026. The itinerary included a visit to RBDF’s headquarter to discuss counternarcotics strategies and attending the Fourth Northern Caribbean Security Summit, where U.S. and regional leaders discussed avenues to increase stability and prosperity in a critical area for combating transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and disrupting drug-smuggling networks. U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of War (DASW) for Counternarcotics and Stabilization Policy…
The United States Coast Guard and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) seized $5.6 million in cocaine in two operations off the coast of Florida in February 2026. The seizures highlighted the close collaboration of U.S. Department of Homeland Security agencies in tackling drug smuggling in the southeastern approaches to the U.S. “The Coast Guard is in the business of saving lives, and every kilogram of these drugs kept off our streets represents lives saved,” said Lt. Justin Dadlani, commanding officer, Station Fort Lauderdale. “I couldn’t be more proud of the professionalism of the crew and our continued partnerships…
Hezbollah, a United States-designated foreign terrorist organization (FTO), has a long history of operating in Latin America dating back to the 1980s, shortly after its formation in Lebanon. Active in 12 Latin American nations, including Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico, the terror group attacked synagogues twice in Argentina in the 1990s and attempted another attack in Brazil shortly after the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist incursion into Israel. Since then, Hezbollah’s main proxy, Iran, has suffered military losses in three campaigns by Israel and the U.S. Additionally, the government of Lebanon, including its armed forces, has taken steps to disarm and…
In a powerful display of regional solidarity, five members of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Regiment deployed to Jamaica on February 15, 2026, as part of a multinational British Overseas Territories Contingent providing disaster relief after Hurricane Melissa struck as a Category 5 storm in October 2025. The TCI Marines joined forces with the Royal Bermuda and Cayman Islands regiments to repair homes and infrastructure before the start of the next hurricane season. Hurricane Melissa devastated Jamaica’s western parishes when it made landfall on October 28 with top winds of 297 kph, the strongest recorded hurricane to hit the island.…
Despite recent attempts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to downplay its military and strategic ambitions in the Arctic, Nordic nations and other NATO members remain skeptical of such claims, expressing concerns about “a widely shared fear that China could weaponize Arctic shipping routes and mineral supply chains,” reported The Economist, a British news weekly, in February 2026. CCP statements at a recent China-Nordic Arctic Research Centre conference in early February sought to soften the party’s earlier aggressive stance of being a “near-Arctic” state despite 1,500 kilometers separating the nearest Chinese territory from the Arctic. Zhao Long of the Shanghai…