Military vehicles during combat shooting as part of the Resolute Warrior exercise. During the maneuver, the multinational NATO brigade stationed in Latvia, which is now being formed, trained together at full strength for the first time. REUTERS THE WATCH STAFF Latvia marked a critical milestone in November 2024 as the Canadian-led NATO Multinational Brigade Latvia (MNB-LVA) conducted its first major exercise as a complete brigade. Exercise Resolute Warrior 2024 was held November 1-14, 2024, across central and northern Latvia. The MNB-LVA includes personnel from 13 member states, highlighting the alliance’s commitment to NATO’s central tenet of collective defense. Canada’s contributions to the brigade are…
The Watch
North American Aerospace Defense Command fighter aircraft intercept a Chinese H-6 bomber off the coast of Alaska in July 2024. Two of the Chinese bombers were flying with two Russian bombers near Alaska in a sign of increasing Arctic cooperation between Beijing and Moscow. NORTH AMERICAN AEROSPACE DEFENSE COMMAND REUTERS The United States is watching growing cooperation between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia in the Arctic closely, and some of their recent military collaboration in the region sends “concerning signals,” the U.S. Arctic ambassador said. The PRC and Russia have stepped up military cooperation in the Arctic…
A worker unloads limes at a citrus packing plant in La Ruana in the state of Michoacan, Mexico. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mexico has sent 660 Soldiers and militarized National Guard officers to the western state of Michoacan to protect lime growers who complained they were being extorted by cartels. The Defense Department said that since the start of President Claudia Sheinbaum’s administration on October 1, 300 Soldiers and 360 Guard officers have been sent to several lime-growing townships. In August, more than half of lime packing warehouses in the lowlands of Michoacan closed temporarily after growers and distributors said they had…
North Korea has sent about 15,000 troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine. A new alliance between the countries was struck in at a Pyongyang summit in June 2024. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF An estimated 15,000 North Korean troops engaged in their first combat with Ukrainian forces in November 2024. South Korea’s spy agency confirmed the first fighting by North Korean forces in the Kursk region of Russia, according to USA Today. The new military alliance between North Korea and Russia faces considerable obstacles, including untested and possibly ill-trained North Korean troops and a lack of any tradition of…
Crew members from the HMCS Yellowknife transfer bales of cocaine from the ship to a pier in the Port of San Diego in September 2024. CHIEF PETTY OFFICER LEVI READ/U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF The Canadian coastal defense vessels HMCS Edmonton and Yellowknife returned to their home port of Esquimalt, British Columbia, in September after carrying out a massive cocaine interdiction while on a seven-week deployment in Central America as part of Operation Caribbe. The Yellowknife’s crew, along with U.S. Coast Guard officers, seized about 1,400 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of $60 million Canadian (more…
The HMS Anson, the latest Astute-class attack submarine to enter the Royal Navy, completed late-stage tests near the U.S. and in the Caribbean in 2024. ROYAL NAVY THE WATCH STAFF The United Kingdom’s most advanced nuclear-powered submarine is nearing operational readiness as the fifth Astute-class submarine in the Royal Navy. The HMS Anson has completed intensive sea trials testing its weapon and detection systems, a crucial step toward deployment, the Royal Navy announced in May 2024. Earlier this year, the Anson traveled from the U.K. coast north to waters north of Scotland to fire its Spearfish torpedo and Tomahawk ballistic…
Members of the Mexican Navy guard packages of drugs after seizing about 8.4 thousand metric tons s of the illicit cargo and arresting 23 people in an operation off the country’s southwestern Pacific coast, near Lazaro Cardenas, Michoacan, Mexico. MEXICAN NAVY THE WATCH STAFF The Mexican Navy said in October 2024 that it had seized more than 8.3 metric tons of drugs in a single operation in the Pacific Ocean, a record maritime drug bust. In a complex and risky helicopter maneuver, Mexican Sailors intercepted a semisubmersible “narco sub” that held about 2,200 kilograms of narcotics, officials said. Five other…
A contingent from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) visited U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach in November 2024 for a historic, first-time port call. While in Florida, RBDF forces trained with Coast Guard personnel. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) made history in November 2024 with its first port call at the U.S. Coast Guard Base Miami Beach, marking a new chapter in the “long-standing and mutually beneficial partnership between the U.S. Coast Guard and the RBDF,” according to an RBDF news release. The visit offered the opportunity for joint training exercises…
Two cargo airplanes of the DHL package delivery company sit on the tarmac at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, in October 2024. Investigators suspect Russian sabotage was behind the fire originating from a package at the DHL airport center in July. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The United States has stepped up security and counter terrorism measures for commercial cargo planes bound for North America after Russian operatives placed incendiary devices on two cargo planes in Europe in an apparent attempt to determine if similar sabotage could be carried out on flights to the United States, Western security officials told…
A Finnish border guard and his dog patrol the Finnish-Russian border near Hoilola village, Finland, in June 2024. REUTERS THE WATCH STAFF Finland’s Coast Guard has detected an increase in the jamming of satellite positions in the Gulf of Finland, causing ships to veer off course, endangering lives and cargo. The GPS jamming tactics likely are being deployed by ships trying to avoid detection while violating international sanctions placed on Russia after its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The Finnish Coast Guard has had to warn vessels in danger of running aground because of jammed GPS signals. The activity has increased…