Forces from the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy conducted a joint maritime exercise off Canada’s Pacific coast June 3-4, 2026, marshaling warships, submarines, helicopters and maritime patrol aircraft in a display of the deepening defense partnership between the nations. “By training and operating together, we strengthen interoperability, deepen mutual understanding, and reinforce our shared commitment to security and stability in the Indo-Pacific,” said Rear Adm. David Patchell, commander of RCN Maritime Forces Pacific and Joint Task Force Pacific. Held in waters off British Columbia, the exercise saw one of the ROK Navy’s most advanced…
The Watch
The commanding officer of the Rhode Island National Guard visited The Bahamas in May 2026, the latest exchange in a long-standing partnership between the United States National Guard and the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF). Maj. Gen. Andrew J. Chevalier, the Rhode Island National Guard’s adjutant general, discussed regional security, professional force development and disaster response plans with Commodore Floyd Moxey, the RBDF commander, along with their senior staffs at the Coral Harbour Base headquarters in Nassau. The RBDF and the Rhode Island National Guard have been partners in the National Guard’s State Partnership Program since 2005. Accompanied by his…
Drones built in Canada could be headed for the battlefield in Ukraine, thanks to a new partnership formed by the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND), the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and two drone manufacturers. In May, at the defense trade show CANSEC 2026 in Ottawa, Ontario, the DND and Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence signed the deal to support the production of Ukrainian unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in Canada. It kicks off a new collaboration between Airlogix, a Ukrainian defense technology company, and Sentinel Research and Development (R&D), a Canadian UAS manufacturer. With backing from the governments of Canada and…
Mexico’s beefed-up security for the FIFA 2026 World Cup were on full display June 11 as throngs of fans weaved through layers of law enforcement checkpoints and the home team delivered an exhilarating 2-0 win over South Africa. As promised by Mexico’s government, security was tight with police closing a 1-mile radius around the stadium, known as Estadia Azteca. The government’s multilayered security apparatus at the opening match, which included everything from roving patrols to robot dogs, was largely successful, according to government reports. Dubbed Plan Kukulkán after the serpent deity of Maya culture, authorities deployed almost 100,000 people from…
Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) 401, the organization tasked with researching, testing and buying emerging counterdrone technologies for the United States Department of War (DOW), has awarded a $500 million contract to a California startup whose products have earned praise for downing thousands of Russian attack drones over the past two years in Ukraine. The three-year agreement with Perennial Autonomy will accelerate the DOW’s capacity to deploy low-cost air-to-air drone interceptors to counter uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) and protect warfighters at home and abroad. Under the deal announced May 18, 2026, Perennial will provide a range of artificial intelligence-enabled, attritable…
The United States Coast Guard’s newest polar icebreaker, the Storis, returned to its temporary Seattle home port on May 11, 2026, after a deployment to the Bering Sea that lasted 36 days and logged 4,800 nautical miles. The voyage marked an early operational test for the newest addition to a small but growing fleet that is expected to play a critical role in U.S. Arctic operations. The winter patrol focused on strengthening operational readiness and interoperability with other military assets. The cutter’s crew also tested ways to support prolonged operations in the harsh Arctic maritime environment. “Operating the Storis in…
The Canadian Army is inviting private-sector companies to compete for the right to develop low-cost precision drones that can identify, track and support destroy adversarial weapons, the government announced in May 2026. The Minerva Initiative, a public-private partnership, was aided by $1.5 million in government seed money, part of the modernization of the Canadian Armed Forces. “The Minerva Initiative reflects our commitment to equipping the Canadian Army with cutting-edge, cost-effective capabilities that deliver real results in the field. By harnessing Canadian innovation and strengthening partnerships across sectors, we are developing smarter tools that enhance decision-making and support our soldiers where…
A United States Navy littoral combat ship (LCS) left its squadron’s home port in Florida in May 2026 for a scheduled deployment to bolster the security of the Mexico-U.S. border, a U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) news release stated. The USS Cooperstown left Naval Station Mayport on May 16 to relieve another Freedom-variant LCS, the USS Wichita, which had been engaged in border security operations since November 2025. Both warships belong to Littoral Combat Ship Squadron (LCSRON) 2, which has been under USNORTHCOM command as a maritime component of border security efforts. The vessels are fast, maneuverable warships designed to operate…
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has been in office for more than a year, and her administration has demonstrated a willingness to confront transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, and strengthen security along the country’s 3,145-kilometer border with the United States while retaining national sovereignty, a key principle of Mexico-U.S. relations. Already, observers of Mexico have noted successful operations against TCOs, including the powerful Sinaloa Cartel, and a renewed emphasis on intelligence gathering, shutting down cartel financial networks and cooperation with U.S. agencies. Sheinbaum has also moved 10,000 troops to the Mexico-U.S. border, which has seen illegal crossings plummet to their lowest…
Authorities in the Mexican state of Chihuahua are spending millions of dollars in a high-tech fight to curb the illicit activities of transnational criminal organizations. At the heart of this push is the Sentinel Tower, a 20-story building nearing completion in Ciudad Juárez, the Latin Times online newspaper reported in May 2025. When finished, the surveillance network that will operate from the building — the tallest in the El Paso,Texas-Juárez region — will have at its disposal high-tech surveillance equipment, including facial-recognition software, license plate readers and 4,400 mobile cameras. A helipad is atop the tower, which is part of…