Coast Guard vessels return to port after an offshore exercise in April 2022. CPL. ANDRE PLACE/ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT LT. COL. BENJAMIN L. BEASLEY/COMMANDER, BERMUDA REGIMENT At 54 square kilometers, Bermuda inhabits an isolated yet geostrategic location 1,022 kilometers off the North Carolina coast. It played an outsized role for the United Kingdom during the 18th and 19th centuries as a staging point on the way to the U.K.’s New World colonies, and for the United States, from World War II until the 1990s as a base for Cold War anti-submarine operations. Bermuda has been self-governed since 1620 and has the…
The Watch
TCI Regiment Soldiers conduct surveillance during a training exercise in defense of the Turks and Caicos Islands. TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT LT. COL. ENNIS GRANT/TCI REGIMENT The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) occupy a vast expanse of shallow water and comprise 40 islands — eight of them populated — spanning 948 square kilometers. This British Overseas Territory has 45,000 residents and plays an increasingly important role in maintaining the rules-based order of the Caribbean region and the southeastern approaches to the U.S. homeland. TCI’s defense and security are the responsibility of the United Kingdom, but much of the power…
DIÁLOGO AMERICAS Russian disinformation campaigns are spreading in Latin America, raising concerns for regional stability, due to the growing presence of Russia in the information and geopolitical sphere. The Kremlin is leading efforts to exert influence in the “global south” through the media. This strategy seeks to promote non-progressive values and question the liberal democratic legacy in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, Mexican magazine Letras Libres reported. Russian media such as Sputnik and RT are notable examples of this strategy, Letras Libres indicated. Although they are the most visible elements, they are not the only participants in the disinformation war being waged on television, radio, print media, social…
A U.S. Arctic expert argued in an op-ed in May 2024 that the United States should continue to cooperate with Russia on scientific projects. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF With the ongoing effects of climate change on Arctic ecosystems, collaborative multinational scientific projects remain vital to the region, necessitating a resumed cooperation between Western Arctic nations and Russia, despite the latter’s increasingly authoritarian and expansionist behavior. While such normalized relations in specialized fields may be unlikely in the near term, it is imperative that the U.S. and its allies try. Troy Bouffard, director of the Center for Arctic Security and…
This image from remote video released by the U.S. Air Force shows Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall during an experimental flight inside the cockpit of an X-62A Vista autonomous aircraft. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Two Air Force fighter jets recently squared off in a dogfight in California. One was flown by a pilot. The other wasn’t. That second jet was piloted by artificial intelligence, with the Air Force’s highest-ranking civilian riding along in the front seat. It was the ultimate display of how far the Air Force has come in developing a technology with its roots in the 1950s.…
The Ukraine war has exposed limits to the security partnership forged by Xi Jinping, left, and Vladimir Putin. AFP/GETTY IMAGES SUISHENG ZHAO/UNIVERSITY OF DENVER Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought the world back to the jungle of great power rivalry, in which power alignment and balance are pivotal. Beijing has aligned with Russia, a great power that shares the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) grievance over U.S. hegemony and stands with the PRC to contain the U.S. The joint statement signed by Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin on February 4, 2022, just 20 days before the Russian invasion, hailed…
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…
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…