The North American Aerospace Defense Command conducted exercise Falcon Virgo over the national capital region in November 2024. FIRST AIR FORCE The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) executed an air-defense exercise in the Washington, D.C., region in November 2024 that integrated U.S. Air Force F-16 warplanes, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army helicopters and Army and Civil Air Patrol planes, demonstrating the interoperability of U.S. warplanes and civilian aircraft. Operation Falcon Virgo, conducted by the Continental U.S. NORAD Region, is a routine mission supporting Operation Noble Eagle, a NORAD exercise that incorporates all air defense and air sovereignty missions…
The Watch
Crew members from the Coast Guard cutter Vigilant (WMEC-617) offload more than 1,510 pounds of cocaine and 1,470 pounds of marijuana with a combined value of about $18.5 million in Port Everglades, Florida, on November 22, 2024. PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS ERIC RODRIGUEZ/U.S. COAST GUARD The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant (WMEC-617) returned home to Cape Canaveral, Florida, on November 23, 2024, after offloading more than 1,510 pounds of cocaine and 1,470 pounds of marijuana with a combined value of about $18.5 million in Port Everglades. Crew members from the Vigilant, working alongside interagency and international partners while…
The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Stratton returned to port in November 2024 after an eventful 110-day deployment in the Arctic that involved tracking Russian warships, dramatic rescue operations and extensive dialogue with remote Alaskan Indigenous communities. U.S. COAST GUARD A U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) cutter tracked Russian war vessels, aided two disabled fishing ships in the volatile Bering Sea, and deepened ties with Indigenous communities in a 110-day Arctic deployment. USCG Cutter Stratton returned to its home base in Alameda, California, in early November 2024 from its voyage north of the Arctic Circle having successfully completed its mission of…
The Yi Peng 3, a Chinese ship linked to Russian sabotage of undersea cables in November 2024, was halted in international waters by naval vessels from Denmark, Germany and Sweden. AFP/GETTY IMAGES NATO naval forces responded quickly in November 2024 to detain a Chinese ship linked to a Russian attack on European infrastructure along NATO’s northern flank. The Yi Peng 3, a Chinese cargo ship, was identified by investigators as having severed undersea communication cables connecting four northern European countries in the Baltic Sea by dragging its anchor for more than 160 kilometers, according to The Wall Street Journal…
U.S. Northern Command held the first demonstration of weapons to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) at Fort Carson, Colorado, in October 2024. One participating vendor was Teledyne FLIR, which featured its Cerberus XL C-UAS in the exercise. TELEDYNE FLIR U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) conducted the first tests of systems to detect, track and defeat small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in October 2024. The Falcon Peak initiative by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) from October 19 to October 30 at Fort Carson, Colorado, highlighted the increasing importance of countering UAS threats to the United States. Several incursions by unidentified…
Crew members of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro work on the flight deck during the contraband offload in San Diego on November 19, 2024. PETTY OFFICER 3RD CLASS RICHARD URANGA/U.S. COAST GUARD A United States Coast Guard crew offloaded more than 13,154 kilograms (29,000 pounds) of cocaine, worth an estimated $335.8 million, in San Diego on November 19, 2024. The crew of USCG Cutter Munro (WMSL-755) delivered the illicit cargo that Coast Guard and Navy vessels intercepted from drug-smuggling vessels during recent patrols. The massive bust was the result of 11 separate interdictions in September and October 2024…
Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words “AI Artificial Intelligence” in this illustration. REUTERS ILLUSTRATION REUTERS Britain and its allies will not be intimidated by Russian cyber threats into ending their support for Ukraine, British Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said November 25, 2024, urging NATO to work closer together to stay ahead in “the new AI arms race.” In the latest Western warning about Moscow stepping up cyberattacks on nations backing Ukraine, McFadden said the U.S.-led military alliance, businesses and institutions must do “everything they can to lock their own digital doors” to protect…
The C-Lion1 telecommunications cable is laid in the Baltic Sea by cable ship Ile de Brehat on the shore of Helsinki, Finland, on October 12, 2015. REUTERS REUTERS European governments have accused Russia of escalating hybrid attacks on Ukraine’s Western allies as Baltic nations investigated whether the cutting of two fiber-optic telecommunication cables in the Baltic Sea in mid-November 2024 was sabotage. “Moscow’s escalating hybrid activities against NATO and EU countries are also unprecedented in their variety and scale, creating significant security risks,” the statement signed by the foreign ministers of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland said. Europe needs…
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration said in November 2024 it will continue the policy of removing migrants from the border with the U.S. and relocate them to southern Mexico. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Mexico will continue to enforce its policy to prevent migrants from reaching its northern border, the country’s foreign minister said shortly after the U.S. presidential election. Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente said his country’s policy of transporting migrants approaching the border to southern Mexico — implemented nearly a year ago — has yielded impressive results. “It’s working well and we’re going to continue on…
Gen. Gregory Guillot, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, speaks at the National Guard Adjutants General conference at the Colorado National Guard’s 168th Regional Training Site at Fort Carson, Colorado, on October 29, 2024. At right is Air Force Gen. Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau. SGT. 1ST CLASS ZACH SHEELY/U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD The National Guard is an essential contributor to North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Gen. Gregory Guillot told a gathering of National Guard leaders at Fort Carson, Colorado, on October 29, 2024. “The success…