An Australian study says the Chinese government’s push to monitor the habits of online users extends well beyond the social media app TikTok. AFP/GETTY IMAGES VOICE OF AMERICA An Australian study claims that the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) monitoring of global internet users’ online habits — a practice that has made TikTok controversial in the United States — extends far beyond the popular social media app to numerous other platforms and even online games. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a research organization that receives funding from the Australian government and others overseas, said in a May 2 report that…
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Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (front right), Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Finnish President Alexander Stubb tour on a rigid inflatable boat from Bodø harbor to Saltstraumen, Norway, on June 20, 2024. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The leaders of three Scandinavian countries met in Norway’s Arctic territory in June 2024 to discuss the budding mutual defense relationship among Finland, Norway and Sweden and the increasing instability caused by Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The June 19 to June 20 summit was held at Norway’s Bodø military complex, which was recently upgraded and consolidated to become Norway’s pulse…
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball, pictured, encountered three PRC naval vessels near the Aleutian Islands in July 2024. U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF People’s Republic of China (PRC) naval vessels sailed within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in July 2024 but didn’t enter U.S. territorial waters, the Coast Guard confirmed on July 10, 2024. The incident follows a highly publicized joint patrol of Russian and PRC naval ships in seas near Alaska in 2023. When contacted by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball, PRC naval officials stated their purpose was “freedom of navigation operations,” an international maritime…
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks during a NATO public forum as part of the 2024 NATO Summit on July 10, 2024, in Washington, D.C. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has violated the rules-based international order by evading sanctions and aiding Russia’s war efforts in Ukraine, NATO leaders agreed in a statement during the alliance’s U.S. summit in July 2024. Days earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken strongly condemned the PRC’s conduct, saying that it represented a significant security threat to Europe. Blinken referenced a joint statement from NATO and Japan…
Defense experts gathered at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in July 2024 to discuss challenges facing North American air and missile defense in the Arctic, especially increasing threats from Russia and the People’s Republic of China. U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF The North American homeland is no longer a sanctuary free from external threat, and better missile and air defenses in the Arctic are critical for deterring and responding to increasing threats from adversarial nations, a panel of defense experts said in July 2024 at an event hosted by the Missile Defense Project of the Center for Strategic…
HMCS Charlottetown departed Novia Scotia on June 15, 2024, to participate in a NATO maritime task force in the Mediterranean Sea, part of Canada’s 10-year commitment to Operation Reassurance. ROYAL CANADIAN NAVY THE WATCH STAFF A Canadian frigate departed its home port in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in June 2024 to join a standing maritime NATO group in the Mediterranean Sea, demonstrating Canada’s longstanding commitment to supporting the alliance and further developing the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) interoperability with its allies. His Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Charlottetown is a Halifax-class frigate with a 240-person crew of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Sailors…
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and U.S. President Joe Biden discuss recent increases in spending among nearly all NATO members since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine during Stoltenberg’s June 2024 visit to Washington, D.C. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Former Russian President Dimitry Medvedev urged fellow Russians to inflict “maximum harm” on Western countries’ infrastructure and daily life to retaliate for increasingly effective sanctions imposed by the West on Russia for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, wrote an incendiary post on the messaging app Telegram. Medvedev has 1.3 million followers on his…
The Mexican Navy Newport-class tank landing ship ARM Usumacinta arrives at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam for Exercise Rim of the Pacific on June 26, 2024. U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF The Mexican Navy sent a large contingent of female Sailors to the biennial Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) in Hawaii in July 2024, illustrating a strong commitment to embrace a force readiness and equal opportunity posture aligning with the U.S. Women, Peace and Security (WPS) initiative. The number of women in the Secretarìa de Marina (SEMAR) has increased from 14% of the force in 2020 to 22% in 2024.…
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar toured USNORTHCOM and NORAD facilities and discussed increased collaboration on security issues between Mexico and the U.S. with USNORTHCOM and NORAD Cmdr. Gen. Gregory T. Guillot. USNORTHCOM THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. ambassador to Mexico and the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) met in Colorado in July 2024 to discuss the strong Mexico-U.S. relationship and increasing collaboration on homeland defense issues. Ken Salazar, a former Secretary of the Interior and U.S. senator from Colorado, toured the Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station and the Cheyenne Mountain Complex…
Norwegian troops take part in Nordic Response, a large-scale NATO exercise in the spring of 2024. Recently, Norway announceed a major boost in defense spending and signed an agreement with the U.S. to allow more collaboration between the allies. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Norway’s Parliament overwhelmingly approved an expanded defense agreement with the United States in late May 2024, the latest in a pattern of Nordic countries seeking closer collaboration with the U.S. and NATO. In February 2024, Norway agreed to amend a 2021 defense agreement with the U.S. to allow unimpeded access to 12 military areas in Norway,…