A Soldier performs advanced biological material analysis in low-visibility conditions during the recent Arctic Edge 24 exercise in Alaska. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND THE WATCH STAFF U.S. Army Special Forces successfully completed experiments with the latest technology for sampling, detecting and monitoring biological material in harsh conditions during the recent Arctic Edge 24 exercise in Alaska. The latest iteration of Exercise Able Warrior demonstrated U.S. capabilities to defend against chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats to the homeland. “SOCOM J37 Exercise Able Warrior provides opportunities to focus attention on CBRN capabilities, assess CCMDs [unified combatant commands] CWMD [Countering Weapons…
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Finland President Alexander Stubb visits the border checkpoint of Niirala on March 27, 2024. Stubb said his country needs to guard against Russian attempts to undermine national security through “hybrid operations” along the 800-mile border between Russia and the Nordic nation. X VIA GOVERNMENT OF FINLAND THE WATCH STAFF Newly elected Finland President Alexander Stubb visited his country’s border with Russia on March 27, 2024, as the government discusses measures to give Finns more tools to deter “hybrid influence” operations by its eastern neighbor. A little more than a week later, the government announced an indefinite extension of the border…
Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldiers traveled to Barbados in February 2024 to train defense and security personnel on how to handle public disorder situations. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bermuda Regiment trained police, prison and defense personnel from seven other Caribbean nations on how to teach public order techniques, part of a longstanding practice of regional collaboration. Two Royal Bermuda Regiment soldiers traveled to Barbados recently to lead the training as part of the Regional Security System, a coalition of Caribbean member states that work together to address common security issues. The soldiers taught security personnel from Antigua…
Norway announced plans in April 2024 to buy long-range drones, possibly similar to the RQ-B Global Hawk, to bolster its surveillance of the Barents Sea and Arctic region. NORTHRUP GRUMMANN THE WATCH STAFF Norway will purchase large drones capable of long-range surveillance in the Barents Sea and station them at a reopened air base on an island in the far north of the Nordic country. The government announced the reopening of Andøya Air Station, 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, in April 2024, saying the plans to buy the drones will improve Norway’s domain awareness in an increasingly tense…
The Norwegian High North has received increasing U.S. attention in recent years. In late March 2024, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary Dmitri Kusnezov made his second visit to Tromsø , pictured above, in less than a year. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF A high-ranking U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official recently visited northern Norway for the second time in less than a year to study a range of potential threats to the United States homeland. Under Secretary Dimitri Kusnezov said he visited the Arctic city of Tromsø to gain insight into the region and receive briefings on…
U.S. Marines with Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS) 24, Marine Air Control Group 48, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, deploy an AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR (Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar) in preparation of Exercise Arctic Edge 2024 in Fort Greely, Alaska. LANCE CPL. KANOA THOMAS/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF The United States, alongside allies and partners, is increasing cold weather capabilities and fostering interoperability through numerous collaborative multi-domain exercises in the Arctic regions of North America and Europe. From February 23 to March 11, 2024, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) conducted Arctic Edge 2024, a comprehensive joint and combined multidomain cold…
Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldiers conduct military operations in urban terrain during Exercise Island Warrior 24, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 17, 2024. LANCE CPL. LORIANN DAUSCHER/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF Soldiers from four British Overseas Territories traveled to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in April 2024 to participate in Exercise Island Warrior 24. The two-week exercise involved firearms training and urban combat simulations and gave members from the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) and the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment (TCIR) opportunities to hone their warfighting skills and practice interoperability with other…
The U.S. Coast Guard, in collaboration with the security forces of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, has apprehended hundreds of Haitian migrants traveling in dangerous conditions. U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF The Caribbean region, a crucial approach to the U.S. homeland, has experienced a significant increase in illegal migrants in recent years, a surge amplified more recently by the exodus of migrants out of Haiti. In early April 2024, the Bahamas, a U.S. ally, and the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), a Caribbean partner, worked together to detain hundreds of migrants in operations conducted in cooperation…
The Space Development Agency (SDA) has selected a California-based company to develop software capable of detecting hypersonic missiles in flight from satellite data. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The United States is addressing threats to the homeland from hypersonic missiles by developing software that uses satellite data to detect the missiles in flight. As many as 100 missile-tracking satellites are projected to be part of this network. In addition to having satellites in orbit, the Space Development Agency needs advanced software that can analyze the data collected by them and identify threats at hypersonic speeds, according to the Space News…
U.S. Marines with Fox Battery, 2nd Battalion, 14th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve ready High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems for live-fire engagement as part of Arctic Edge 2024 at Eielson Air Force, Alaska. LANCE CPL. MADISYN PASCHAL/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF U.S. Marines showcased their ability to operate the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in harsh Arctic conditions during a recent exercise in Alaska. The HIMARS Rapid Infiltration exercise, known as HIRAIN, demonstrates the ability of U.S. forces to rapidly deploy the latest military technology in any conditions to defend the homeland. As part of…