The HMCS Windsor, shown here in making its initial voyage for Canada in 2001, is one of four 1980s-era British submarines acquired by Canada that are now nearing obsolescence. In July 2024, Canada announced plans to buy 12 new submarines capable of under-ice Arctic patrols. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Canada plans to quadruple its submarine fleet with the purchase of up to 12 new submarines to bolster its maritime security in the Arctic. The announcement came as Canada made its first formal commitment to meet NATO’s threshold of member countries spending 2% of their national GDP on defense. “As…
The Watch
Kenyan police officers arrive in Haiti in July 2024 as part of a U.N. security mission to reestablish law and order. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force will assist the mission. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Efforts by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) throughout the last year to deter illegal migration from Haiti were effective, its leader told the Bahamian media in late July 2024. Commodore Raymond E. King said that placing patrol boats on the southeastern maritime approaches to the Bahamas has slowed the numbers of Haitians risking the treacherous journey. But with the deployment of a Kenyan police-led…
The guided-missile destroyer USS Gridley stops for fuel in Tromso, Norway, in 2019. The Department of Defense issued a new Arctic strategy in July 2024 outlining a strategy built on engagement and collaboration with U.S. Arctic allies such as Norway. U.S. NAVY TROY J. BOUFFARD, PH.D/UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS The 2024 Department of Defense Arctic Strategy adeptly reflects the region’s geopolitical landscape since February 2022. Notably, its end state — to preserve the Arctic as a stable region where U.S. homeland security and vital national interests are safeguarded — presents a more assertive objective than its 2019 predecessor. This shift…
The Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker Louis S. St-Laurent maneuvers into position to moor up with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy during a cooperative science mission to the Arctic Ocean in 2008. U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF Canada, Finland and the United States announced a partnership dubbed the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) to produce much-needed icebreakers for use in rapidly melting Arctic waters. The July 2024 pact was revealed during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., and was framed as a way to boost shipbuilding capacity in each country. The agreement is also widely seen as a counter…
The Russian training ship of the Baltic Fleet Smolnyy arrives at Havana harbor on July 27, 2024, as part of a fleet composed of the patrol vessel Neustrahimiy and the offshore oil tanker Yelnya. The Russian fleet remained on the island from July 27-30. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Just weeks after Russian warships visited the port of Havana, a new Russian flotilla returned to Cuba in July 2024. The visit comes after the Russian Navy announced exercises involving its Northern, Pacific and Baltic Fleets, the latest in Russian military maneuvers involving nuclear weapons and warplanes. The People’s Republic of…
Mexican Sailors, Peruvian Naval Infantry Soldiers and U.S Coast Guard personnel conducted the first urban search and rescue operation in the 53-year-history of Exercise Rim of the Pacific. SPEC. 1ST CLASS TYRELL K. MORRIS/U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF Mexican Sailors, Peruvian Naval Infantry Soldiers and U.S. Coast Guardsmen completed the first urban search and rescue (USAR) exercise in the 53-year history of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in July 2024, which showcased the increasing interoperability of the U.S. and its partners. The training also provided valuable preparation for the rescue of civilians from natural disasters, an increasing threat…
U.S. East Coast-based Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) await extraction from the beach of Gambell, Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska, by U.S. Army MH-60M Blackhawk helicopters assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) as part of Operation Polar Dagger. SENIOR AIRMAN JOHNNY DIAZ/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The Department of Defense recently conducted a month-long exercise in Alaska, approximately 72 kilometers from Russia. Army, Air Force and Navy special forces units assigned to Special Operations Command North (SOCNORTH) trained in maritime assaults and helicopter landings in rough seas and met other Arctic tactical and logistical challenges during Operation…
Canadian and U.S. warplanes intercept a Chinese H-6 bomber near Alaska on July 24, 2024. NORAD THE WATCH STAFF North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) assets intercepted two Russian TU-95 and two People’s Republic of China (PRC) H-6 military aircraft operating in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in late July 2024. The intercept was a routine demonstration of the NORAD mission of aerospace warning and control. Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Hornets accompanied by U.S Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft and F-16 Fighting Falcons positively identified and intercepted the two Russian Tu-95 strategic bombers, known as “Bears,”…
U.S. Brig. Gen. Maurizio Calabrese, who directs intelligence operations for the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. Northern Command, visited Royal Bahamas Defence Force officials at the Coral Harbour headquarters in July 2024. Capt. Glenn McPhee, right, gave Calabrese a tour of the facility. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Maurizio Calabrese, director of intelligence and information for the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), met with senior members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) in July 2024. Calabrese toured Coral Harbour Base, meeting with…
Norway tested its new NOMADS air defense system in June 2024. The highly mobile, amphibious system, based on armored vehicles, will be able to rapidly defend against attacks like those launched against Ukraine by Russia. NORWEGIAN DEFENSE MATERIEL AGENCY (VIA BARENTS OBSERVER) THE WATCH STAFF The Norwegian Army tested its new highly mobile, amphibious National Manouvre Air Defence System (NOMADS) in June 2024 at Andøya, an island air base in the country’s far north. The base is also slated to be used for maritime surveillance military drones and U.S. troops and materiel after a recently signed defense agreement. The NOMADS…