Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) engineers fanned out across the High North in July 2026 to assess the military readiness for key infrastructure in a remote, often inhospitable region as part of the summerlong Nanook-Qimaavivut exercise. Teams of military engineers traveled to Nunavut, Labrador and far-flung airfields across the Arctic to evaluate the logistical viability of key assets. Their work will inform military planning decisions as Canada continues to ramp up its investment in Arctic defense. “Operation NANOOK-QIMAAVIVUT strengthens the practical foundations that enable effective Arctic operations,” said Lt. Gen. Steve Boivin, commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command, in a July…
The Watch
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) launched the Capacity Building Initiative on Cargo and Container Security for the Haitian National Police in July 2026 at the Coral Harbour Base in Nassau. The initiative was coordinated with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS), the governments of The Bahamas and Haiti, and Canada’s Anti-Crime Capacity Building Program. Senior government officials and other regional dignitaries gathered for a ceremony to kick off the initiative. They included Haitian Charge d’Affaires Dern Jovens Bonhomme; Jerusa Ali, director general of the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Phyllis Baron, from the General Secretariat…
United States Marines braved rugged terrain and scorching temperatures in July 2026 to install barbed wire along a challenging 24-kilometer stretch of the southern border in Arizona. The Marines’ work improved border security in a remote and challenging environment, bolstering the ability of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents to deter illegal migration and criminal activity in the Nogales and Naco districts. Coordinated by Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB) as part of Operation Ardent Vanguard, the Marines’ effort reflected their ability to operate quickly and effectively in adverse conditions to meet the objective of securing the 3,145-kilometer border. Marines…
Mexico deployed 1,500 troops to counter cartel violence in Michoácan in August 2026, demonstrating its close cooperation with the United States on security issues. President Claudia Sheinbaum ordered nearly 1,000 Mexican Army Soldiers and nearly 600 National Guardsmen to the central Mexican state one day after the U.S. suspended agricultural inspections of the avocado industry, an important export market for Mexico. Mexico’s rapid response encouraged the U.S. to resume inspections on August 13. U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ronald Johnson hailed Mexico’s response as beneficial to both countries and the latest example of a coordinated approach to countering transnational criminal organization…
A biennial exercise designed to protect a critical maritime passage between the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans began in Iceland in August 2026 as the United States joined with NATO allies in the multidomain drill. Exercise Northern Viking involved the coordination of sea, air and command and control forces collaborating to defend the Greenland-Iceland-United Kingdom (GIUK) gap. Submarines in Russia’s Northern Fleet often use the passage to access the North Atlantic from their base in the Kola Peninsula. This year’s Northern Viking marked the 75th anniversary of a pact between the U.S. and Iceland in which Washington guarantees Iceland’s defense.…
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) seized 10 kilograms of cocaine along with two bales of marijuana and 54 Haitian migrants near the Exuma Islands in late July 2026. The RBDF interdicted a sailing vessel after receiving intelligence about the boat’s location and possible cargo from the United States, according to an RBDF news release. The HMBS Maderia deployed with U.S. aviation assets interdicted the vessel on July 27 around Norman’s Cay and Way Cay in the Exumas, a group of small islands in the central region of The Bahamas, reported the Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian newspaper. Royal Bahamas Police…
The United States Coast Guard deployed a cutter in July 2026 to monitor two Chinese Communist Party (CCP) icebreakers as they traveled through the U.S. exclusive economic zone and the nation’s extended continental shelf in the Bering Sea. The cutter Munro was dispatched to surveil the polar research ships — the first such incursion by the CCP in the region this year. “Alongside the Department of War, the Department of State, and our international partners, we are actively responding to competitor activities across an increasingly contested Arctic,” Rear Adm. Bob Little, U.S. Coast Guard Arctic District commander, said in a…
More than 100 logisticians and planners gathered in April at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, headquarters of United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), for a Sustainment Rehearsal of Concept (ROC) Drill. The drill is a collaborative event focused on readiness, logistics integration and interagency coordination. The objective was to “find the seams” across the joint logistics enterprise — mapping where coordination among commands, service components and interagency partners could break down. The conference tested the commands’ ability to sustain operations in a wartime environment, focusing on distribution and deployment across the vast North American area of responsibility. It…
Mexico and the United States continued to solidify a close collaboration to counter transnational criminal organization (TCO) activity in August 2026 by signing a defense agreement to provide Mexico access to the U.S. Army drone and counter-drone technology. The agreement will enable Mexico to obtain unmanned aerial system (UAS) and counter-UAS (c-UAS) technology at competitive prices. In recent years, Mexican cartels have used drones to surveil U.S. troops along the southern border, coordinate drug smuggling and attack rival TCOs. They also have used drones in attacks on Mexican security forces. “Under the leadership of [U.S.] President Donald Trump and [(Mexican]…
Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), welcomed Gen. Michael Hyldgaard, Denmark’s chief of defence, during a visit to Alaska military facilities in August. The three-day event focused on combined Arctic operations, airspace security, operational integration and interoperability. The visit began at Eielson Air Force Base, near Fairbanks. Both leaders suited up and participated in separate tactical flight routines in F-16 Fighting Falcons. The flights gave them firsthand experience with the demanding conditions of Arctic tactical flying and showed them the integration of air defense assets that support…