DIÁLOGO AMERICAS The use of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), large language models and cryptocurrencies are allowing Latin American criminal organizations such as the Red Command, the First Capital Command and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) to better delve into financial fraud, a March 2024 Interpol report indicated. “Machine learning tools can be used to analyze large volumes of financial transaction data and detect patterns that might go unnoticed by traditional analysis methods,” Raúl Álvarez, a cybersecurity professor at the Anáhuac University of Mexico said. “This can include identifying suspicious movements of hidden currency through legitimate transactions, facilitating…
The Watch
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Johnson. Louisiana, watch a demonstration of Finnish artillery near Rovaniemi, Finland, on May 17, 2024. STAFF SGT. IAN VALLEY/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF Nearly 7,000 Finnish, Norwegian and U.S. Soldiers assembled in the remote forested regions of Finland in late May 2024 to conduct Northern Forest 24, the latest in a series of NATO exercises demonstrating the increasing interoperability of the alliance’s forces. The weeklong war games at the Rovajärvi training area were part of the largest exercise above the Arctic Circle in Finland…
Collective security is a cornerstone of Canada’s defense policy. Pictured, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a reception in London ahead of a NATO summit. AFP/GETTY IMAGES MAYA JOHNSON Canada’s defense policy update, titled “Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence,” sets the country on a path to more than double its defense spending in 2026-27 compared with 2016-17. The update addresses the realities of climate change and shifts in global geopolitics. As the Arctic becomes more accessible, it is likely to change economically and militarily, introducing different roles for stakeholders. Additionally, with aggressive actors threatening…
Members of the U.S. and Mexican militaries practice fire extinguishing techniques during Fuerzas Amigas 2024 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. CATHRYN LINDSAY/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF For the first time, members of the U.S. and Mexican militaries conducted a joint disaster response exercise outside of a military base as Fuerzas Amigas 24 broke new ground in cross-border collaboration between the partner nations. In this year’s scenario on June 28, downtown Juarez filled with smoke and 30 mock victims lying on the streets, as Mexican authorities requested cross-border assistance from the U.S. to help contain a chemical fire from tank cars…
The Norwegian Navy will nearly double its assets in a massive upgrade aimed at deterring threats to Norwegian waters and territory. Above, a Nansen-class frigate patrols Norwegian waters. NORWEGIAN NAVY THE WATCH STAFF The Norwegian Navy will be getting a major upgrade as a substantial midyear budget increase envisions dozens of new ships, air defense systems and helicopters that will allow the Nordic country to better patrol its Arctic territory and defend against threats. “We must be able to safeguard our maritime interests on an independent basis,” Navy Chief Oliver Berdal told the High North News, a Norwegian newspaper. Berdal…
Fears of a Sino-Russian alliance in the Arctic are overblown, wrote an Australian defense expert in a recent analysis of the relationship between Russia and the People’s Republic of China. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Increasing economic and military cooperation between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia – and the seeming emergence of an authoritarian axis – is causing concern among many observers in the international community. The PRC-Russia relationship, though, is largely transactional and could fray in the coming years as the underlying tensions between the two increase while global competition in the region heightens, wrote Dr.…
U.S. Marines and Sailors attend a concert hosted by the USO during Fleet Week Miami aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan on May 11, 2024. LANCE CPL. GRACE STOVER/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF The inaugural Fleet Week Miami drew five Navy and Coast Guard ships and nearly 7,000 Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen to Florida to promote understanding of the military and the sacrifices made for the nation’s defense. The event, which ran from May 5 to May 12, 2024, included sold-out public tours of the five ships — the USS Harry Truman, the USS Leyte Gulf, the…
Fijian law enforcement officers conduct a boarding of a China-flagged fishing vessel off the coast of Fiji as part of Operation Blue Pacific with the U.S. Coast Guard in 2022. IMAGE CREDIT: PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS NATE LITTLEJOHN/U.S. COAST GUARD INDO-PACIFIC DEFENSE FORUM Seven years after the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed June 5 the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, Indo-Pacific allies and partners continue to lead the battle against an illicit activity that the U.N. says has “major implications for the conservation and management of ocean resources, as well as the food…
Mexican Navy crew members dock their vessel at the Bridgetown Port in Bridgetown, Barbados, in May 2024. The Mexican Navy has played a key role in stemming the flow of narcotics in North America. STAFF SGT. ELIZABETH BRYSON/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy (SEMAR) continues to make great strides in its capabilities and capacity to fight against Mexican criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking. SEMAR has had consecutive record years of narcotic interdictions. In 2023, SEMAR recorded an all-time high in cocaine seizures, nearly surpassing the total amount seized in the previous four years combined, according…
U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Musso, a 57th Rescue Squadron Joint Terminal attack controller, participates in Nordic Response 24 in Moen, Norway. TECH SGT. JUSTIN CARNAHAN/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF Russia has moved its military training exercises away from the Norwegian Sea into the Barents Sea around the Kola Peninsula, according to a study by Norwegian researchers and published by High North News, a Norwegian newspaper. The shift in Russian tactics remains shrouded in secrecy, but the study concluded that the most likely reason for conducting the exercises closer to home is to conserve fuel and ammunition for…