The Watch Staff Swedish leaders want citizens to seriously prepare for the possibility of Russian aggression, with the government currently assessing how to best inform the public of the threats, which have heightened after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago. Gen. Micael Bydèn, Sweden’s top military commander, and Carl-Oskar Bohlin, the minister for civil defense, speaking at security conference in January, each warned that Sweden must be prepared for the worst. “Let me say it with the power of office” and “with unadorned clarity: There could be war in Sweden,” Mr. Bohlin said, according to The New York…
The Watch
The United State Department of Defense’s Replicator initiative calls for the development of scalable, autonomous weapons systems that will counter the Chinese Communist Party’s munitions buildup. ISTOCK UNITED STATES STRATEGIC COMMAND The United States Department of Defense (DOD) is working with international and industry partners to develop scalable, autonomous weapons systems aimed at countering the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) munitions buildup. Announced by Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks in August 2023, the Replicator initiative will streamline and accelerate delivery of innovative technology. “Replicator is meant to help us overcome the PRC’s [People’s Republic of China] biggest advantage, which is mass,”…
U.S. Marines with the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division conduct a troop movement during cold weather training in preparation for Nordic Response 2024 in Setermoen, Norway. LANCE CPL. JOSHUA KUMAKAW/2ND MARINE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE THE WATCH STAFF NATO allies trained together in frigid Arctic climes as members honed their interoperability during exercise Nordic Response, which ran March 3-14, 2024, in northern Finland, Norway and Sweden. The exercise was designed to acclimate troops and equipment to Arctic conditions. Formerly known as Cold Response, Nordic Response is a NATO training event conducted every two years with the U.S. Marine Corps…
The Arctic Council, shown here in 2021, has mostly halted cooperative work after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That action has sparked growing military and political cohesion in Scandinavia. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The Russian invasion of Ukraine has strengthened NATO resolve and integration in many ways, but perhaps the most significant has been an emerging unified Nordic military strategy to deter Russia, especially in the Arctic. In the last two years, Denmark, Finland and Sweden have all signed defense agreements with the U.S., and Norway expanded its previous arrangement, opening dozens of military bases and facilities…
Turks and Caicos Islands Premier Charles Washington Misick, second from right, attends a ceremony to celebrate the launch of the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force on October 30, 2023. TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT THE WATCH The Turks and Caicos Islands has taken another step toward fielding a fully operational border-control agency to meet the increasing threats posed by illegal immigration and other challenges. The Ministry of Immigration and Border Services launched the Turks and Caicos Islands Border Force (TCIBF) on October 30, 2023, with a plan to gradually integrate customs, immigration and its work-permit unit into a unified…
Canada will host a NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence in Montreal to develop strategies to address the impacts of climate change. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF A new NATO-aligned research, training and operational exercise center will open in Canada to generate and share expertise about how the changing climate affects defense and security for the alliance. The opening of the NATO Climate Change and Security Centre of Excellence in Montreal is the result of a three-year effort by Canadian leaders to establish an innovation hub on the subject. When announcing Canada’s initiative at the June 2021 NATO…
Members of Canadian Special Operations Forces Command conduct pre-mission training in Petawawa, Ontario, on January 16, 2024, for Exercise Steadfast Defender 24. CANADIAN ARMED FORCES THE WATCH STAFF Approximately 1,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) sailors, soldiers, aviators and special forces personnel are participating in Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, the largest NATO exercise in decades. Planned for three years, Steadfast Defender 24 will include 90,000 military personnel, more than 50 naval assets, over 80 aircraft, and at least 1,100 combat vehicles, according to a CAF news release. Steadfast Defender 24 simulates an Article 5 adversarial attack and is designed to showcase…
A new U.S. intelligence update says the PRC and Russia have stepped up efforts to develop technologies to disrupt or destroy U.S. satellite capabilities. NASA THE WATCH STAFF Satellites form an integral part of 21st century life, performing vital functions in the private sector and in national defense. The number of satellites orbiting Earth increased to 7,096 by the end of 2022, a sevenfold increase from a decade earlier. The U.S., Russia, and the PRC have the most satellites in orbit, and strategic competition on the ground is beginning to be reflected in the skies above. A new joint report…
Finland announced in February 2024 that it would continue to close its land border crossings with Russia until April 2024. Finnish leaders say Russia is intentionally attempting to undermine the Nordic country’s national security by pushing asylum seekers over the border. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Finland has extended the closure of its 1,320-kilometer land border with Russia until April 14, 2024, the Finnish government announced. The closure was extended because of Russia’s continued funneling of migrants toward border crossings in what the Finns called a “hybrid operation” meant to punish Finland for joining NATO. “We have seen no signs…
Royal Bahamas Defence Force leaders participate in a January 26, 2024, discussion with U.S. officials about developing a Women, Peace and Security initiative. MARINE SEAMAN RICKEY SEALEY/ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF U.S. officials visited the Bahamas in late January 2024 to discuss a strategic initiative to promote gender equality and equity in the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF). RBDF Commodore Raymond King and his executive leadership met with Tiffani Phillips, U.S. Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) gender advisor, Dr. Samantha Ross of the Impact and Women, Peace and Security Council, and Capt. Jonathan Griffin from the U.S. Embassy in the…