A Canadian diver conducts operations during Operation Nanook-Nunalivut in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, on March 8, 2023. CANADIAN ARMED FORCES THE WATCH STAFF Canada demonstrated a steadfast commitment to maintaining security in the Arctic when it hosted the recent Operation Nanook-Nunalivut with its allies and partners. More than 300 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members worked alongside about 50 military service personnel from Belgium, France, Germany and the United States on March 1-17, 2024. The exercises took place in and around Nunavut, Resolute and Yellowknife. Resolute, which is 1,700 kilometers from the North Pole, is one of Canada’s northernmost communities, according to…
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The HMCS William Hall recently established a formal tie with an Inuit community near Hudson’s Bay. The Canadian Armed Forces considers the Inuit to be essential in the defense of Canada’s Arctic territory. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) newest Arctic offshore patrol vessel formally established ties with an Inuit community near Hudson Bay in March 2024. The visit by the HMCS William Hall is part of an effort by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to strengthen its ties with Indigenous communities in the Arctic, bolstering the defense of the region and North American homeland security.…
Norway has met the NATO goal of spending 2% of its GDP on defense two years early. Norwegian Soldiers, pictured above in a 2022 NATO exercise, will be better equipped and housed under a proposed new defense plan. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Echoing similar warnings from neighboring Nordic leaders, Norway’s prime minister indicated in March 2024 that his country needs to increase its defense budget to meet the NATO goal of 2% of a member’s GDP two years earlier than previously planned. Russian actions, most notably its invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, prompted the Norwegian reassessment…
DIÁLOGO ILLUSTRATION DIÁLOGO AMERICAS The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) investments in Latin America and the Caribbean have shifted to what Beijing dubs “new infrastructure,” which includes critical sectors such as telecommunications, financial technology and energy transition, U.S. think tank The Inter-American Dialogue indicated in a new report. According to the report, the PRC’s direct foreign investments in the region have declined in recent years, reflecting the PRC and its state-owned companies’ reorientation, seeking smaller deals in sectors aligned with Beijing’s strategic objectives. “We are facing the deployment of China’s soft power to expand its global influence,” Luis Fleischman, a…
The Arctic Frontiers conference reinforces collaborative approaches to resolving Arctic security issues. ARCTIC FRONTIERS MAYA JOHNSON The 2024 Arctic Frontiers conference, held in Tromsø, Norway, brought together a global assembly of leaders, policymakers, researchers and experts to discuss the future of the Arctic region. The January 29 to February 1, 2024 conference served as a crucial nexus for addressing regional issues. The annual conference’s location in Tromsø – as far north as the most northern points in Alaska and Russia – is apt. The city serves as a key Arctic hub, providing a fitting backdrop for discussions that bridged policy,…
Mexican Navy Vice Adm. Jose Hector Orozco Tocaven, director of the Center for Higher Naval Studies, shares insights on gender integration in the Mexican Armed Forces at the 2024 North American Defense Framework for Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) at the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair, Washington, D.C. U.S. ARMY MASTER SGT. WILLIAM REINIER THE WATCH STAFF Officials from the Bahamas, Canada, Mexico and the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C., in February 2024 to collaborate on ways to achieve gender equality in their armed forces. The North American Defense Framework for Women, Peace and Security (WPS) workshop took place…
Bahamas Then-Prime Minister Perry Gladstone Christie, left, talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2015. AFP/GETTY IMAGES DR. WILLIAM H. GODNICK/PERRY CENTER Foreign influence in the Bahamas is often seen through a historical lens such as the 1980 Cuban bombing of a Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) patrol vessel, which was within its territorial waters when it detained Cuban citizens engaged in illegal fishing. Illegal fishing remains a contested issue between the Bahamas and other nations as does illegal migration, another issue reminiscent of 1980 when the Mariel boatlift’s migration of…
The Norwegian city of Tromsø is north of the Arctic Circle and one of the centers of global Arctic studies. REUTERS THE WATCH The United States and its fellow Western Arctic nations remain committed to the Arctic Council despite concerns raised by Russia’s recent decision to suspend its annual financial contribution to the intergovernmental forum. When Russia, which at the time was Arctic Council chair, invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the other seven member states — Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the U.S. — paused their council participation. The Arctic Council was created in 1996 as a…
Haitian migrants wait to be processed by Bahamian immigration authorities after the Royal Bahamas Defence Force interdicted their vessel in March 2024. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) recently apprehended another Haitian vessel fleeing turmoil in Haiti and carrying more than 100 men, women and children, bringing the number of Haitians apprehended by the RBDF to 369 in March 2024. The interdictions followed RBDF Commander Commodore E. Raymond King’s announcement of a blockade of the country’s southern islands in response to the continued upheaval in nearby Haiti. The violence and economic devastation after…
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen speaks during a news conference about strengthening the country’s Armed Forces by making conscription mandatory for women. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE WATCH STAFF Denmark has become the third NATO member to propose drafting women into the military as part of their national service obligation, joining Norway and Sweden in the gender-equity effort. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the policy change, which also includes lengthening the mandatory military service from four to 11 months as threats to the international rules-based order have deepened since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “We do not rearm because we…