Then-Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Michael Gilday, left, meets with Chief of the Royal Norwegian Navy Rear Adm. Rune Andersen at the Pentagon, on June 29, 2023. The leaders discussed the maritime domain, regional security and stability, and the importance of the Arctic. SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS MICHAEL B. ZINGARO/U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF Norway will increase its interoperability with NATO forces by integrating its Norwegian Joint Headquarters (NJHQ) operations into NATO’s Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFC Norfolk), which is based in Virginia. Western allies view this as crucial to defending the North Atlantic, as well as Arctic supply lines…
The Watch
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, left, and Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson signed a defense cooperation agreement on December 5, 2023. CHAD MCNEELEY/OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THE WATCH STAFF A defense pact recently inked between Sweden and the United States will help deter Russian aggression in the Baltic and Arctic regions while contributing to Sweden’s national security and the interoperability of its armed forces, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said. The U.S. will be allowed to station troops, conduct exercises, and store weapons, equipment and ammunition at 17 bases around Sweden. The defense cooperation agreement (DCA), signed on…
The Trans Alaska Pipeline runs past Alaska Range mountains near Delta Junction. The 800-mile pipeline carries oil from the North Slope to the Port of Valdez, which is emerging as a strategically important hub. AFP/GETTY IMAGES LT. COL. KRISTEN “KJ” HEISERMAN and MAJ. JARED STEWART/U.S. AIR FORCE The Arctic region, home to strategic seaports such as the Port of Alaska, Port of Nome, and Port of Valdez, stands at a developmental crossroads. The changing conditions in the Arctic, leading to more accessible shipping routes, have sparked heightened interest in economic growth and security challenges. Scientists predict the Arctic will transition…
Petty Officer 1st Class Steve Stokes, a U.S. Coast Guard boat coxswain, converses with a boat crew aboard a St. Vincent and Grenadines 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement boat in Christophe Harbour, St. Kitts, before beginning a non-compliant vessel pursuit exercise. PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS LEVI READ/U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM, an intergovernmental organization linking 15 member states), along with the Dominican Republic, have reaffirmed their efforts to combat illegal activities in the Caribbean that threaten their national security interests. The signatory nations released a diplomatic note on November 22, 2023, outlining…
The Norwegian government gave permission to the Russian research vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh to examine sediment off the coast of northern Norway. The voyage has roiled Norwegian domestic politics. WIKIPEDIA THE WATCH STAFF Norway’s approval of a research voyage by a Russian ship off its northern coast has caused domestic concerns over national security interests. But government officials and experts say that the Norwegian authorities are closely monitoring the scientific vessel, which Norway must allow in accordance with international maritime laws. The green light given by the Norwegian government for the voyage of the Russian vessel Akademik Mstislav Keldysh off…
Canada has fast-tracked a nearly $8 billion purchase of Boeing’s Poseidon P-8 maritime surveillance plane to bolster the domain awareness and interoperability of the Royal Canadian Air Force. SENIOR CHIEF PETTY OFFICER RJ STRATCHKO/U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF Canada’s decision to spend more than $7.7 billion to buy 16 P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance planes from the United States is necessary to counter an increased threat to its national security, the country’s defense minister said recently. The expedited order to acquire the Boeing planes was done with a sense of urgency, Defence Minister Bill Blair told the Canadian Broadcast Corp. (CBC)…
DIÁLOGO AMERICAS Through disinformation, economic coercion, and overt and covert political actions, Russia has weakened democratic institutions in Latin America, according to the findings of a late October 2023 report by the U.S. Institute of Peace, a federal agency tasked with conflict resolution. “This Russian machine is extremely pernicious and dangerous,” Jorge Serrano, a security expert and member of the advisory team of Peru’s Congressional Intelligence Commission, told Diálogo Americas, a publication of U.S. Southern Command. “It has the capacity to cause damage and delegitimize the electoral process, which is one of the most valuable pillars of any democratic system.” Since…
Warships transit the Arabian Sea during a joint naval exercise involving Iran, the People’s Republic of China and Russia in March 2023. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ADAM LAJEUNESSE AND DR. P. WHITNEY LACKENBAUER The Chinese and Russian navies made headlines in July and August 2023 with a large-scale naval exercise that ranged from the Yellow Sea to the Aleutian Islands. Over several weeks, a dozen warships conducted drills to improve interoperability and, more importantly, to send a powerful political message. The nature of that message varied, however, depending on the speaker, with Russian and Chinese officials seeking to harness the exercises…
The Royal Bermuda Regiment recently hosted a two-week training exercise with other British Overseas Territories coast guards in the Caribbean. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT THE WATCH STAFF Five British Overseas Territories recently took part in a two-week training session led by the United Kingdom Coast Guard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI), a nonprofit that trains coast guards globally, with the goal of improving the interoperability of Caribbean search and rescue (SAR) operations. Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands participated in water-based exercises and tabletop exercises at the Royal Bermuda Regiment’s…
A Russian honor guard marches at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow on November 3, 2023. The U.S. and NATO have condemned Russia’s withdrawal from a key post-Cold War arms treaty. PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES REUTERS Russia’s final withdrawal from a key post-Cold War agreement on conventional armed forces in Europe on November 7, 2023, drew strong condemnation from the United States and NATO, who said they would suspend participation in response. Russia formally withdrew from the security treaty, which limited key categories of conventional armed forces, blaming the U.S. for undermining post-Cold War security with the enlargement…