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…
The Watch
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…
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…
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…