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,…
The Watch
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…
A ski-equipped U.S. Air Force LC-130 lands in Greenland. Greenland’s government released a 10-year foreign policy statement in February 2024 outlining its diplomatic objectives. U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The government of Greenland has released its foreign policy for the coming decade, stressing its close alliance with Denmark, NATO and the United States. The government wants to maintain the international rules-based order in the Arctic and urges greater representation of Indigenous people. The 48-page document, “Greenland’s Foreign, Security and Defense Policy 2024-2033 — an Arctic Strategy,” was released in February 2024 by Greenland’s Department for Statehood and Foreign Affairs.…
The Coast Guard Cutter Healy participates in an Arctic survey to map the continental shelf. Vice Adm. Peter W. Gautier said the Coast Guard will welcome up to six new icebreakers to the fleet in the coming years. U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF A U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral said his branch’s long history in the Arctic is entering a new phase as a changing climate and emerging threats have increased the emphasis on polar security in the region. Vice Adm. Peter W. Gautier, the Coast Guard’s deputy commandant for operations, is responsible for the development of operational strategy,…
Soldiers from the Danish Schleswig Infantry Regiment take part in a military exercise at the Oksboel Shooting and Training Ground, in Jutland, Denmark, in March 2023. A historic defense agreement, which was partially ratified by the Danish Parliament in January 2024, invests in the recruitment and retention of new personnel. AFP/GETTY IMAGAES MAYA JOHNSON Denmark continued its historic investment in national defense by approving the first part of a 10-year spending agreement that will bolster the nation’s military forces through 2033. Spearheaded by the Danish Ministry of Defence, the $22.5 billion agreement is seen as a proactive response to the…
Norway has ordered 52 of the U.S.-made advanced F-35 fighters and is scheduled to receive them all by 2025. NORWEGIAN ARMED FORCES THE WATCH The Royal Norwegian Air Force has integrated its command-and-control units into a Joint Air Operations Center (JAOC) with the goal of greater efficiency as well as interoperability with allies. The JAOC, which will be based in Sørreisa, merges the National Air Operations Center, Special Operations Air Task Group (SOATG) and 131 Air Wing, according to a January 5, 2024, story in the Norwegian newspaper High North News. The 131 Air Wing, which is responsible for the…