The Royal Bahamas Defence Force in April 2024 welcomed U.S. Sgt. Maj. James Porterfield, who is the principal advisor to U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command on all enlisted matters. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF The senior enlisted leader at United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) visited the Bahamas in April 2024 to exchange ideas and strategies as the partnership between the U.S. and the Bahamas continues to deepen. Sgt. Maj. James Porterfield, along with representatives from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and officials from USNORTHCOM, made the trip to “foster collaboration and…
The Watch
A member of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, emerges from a snow shelter demonstration near Resolute Bay in preparation for Operation Nunalivut. CANADIAN ARMED FORCES THE WATCH STAFF Faced with what leaders characterize as an increasingly unstable and threatening security environment, Canada proposes to spend $5.9 billion on a five-year defense plan that focuses on the defense of its Arctic territory. Themed “Our North, Strong and Free,” the plan calls for nearly $53 billion over the next 20 years with major investments in weapons systems, war and reconnaissance planes, Arctic patrol vehicles and upgrades in housing and other support…
A Soldier performs advanced biological material analysis in low-visibility conditions during the recent Arctic Edge 24 exercise in Alaska. U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND THE WATCH STAFF U.S. Army Special Forces successfully completed experiments with the latest technology for sampling, detecting and monitoring biological material in harsh conditions during the recent Arctic Edge 24 exercise in Alaska. The latest iteration of Exercise Able Warrior demonstrated U.S. capabilities to defend against chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats to the homeland. “SOCOM J37 Exercise Able Warrior provides opportunities to focus attention on CBRN capabilities, assess CCMDs [unified combatant commands] CWMD [Countering Weapons…
Finland President Alexander Stubb visits the border checkpoint of Niirala on March 27, 2024. Stubb said his country needs to guard against Russian attempts to undermine national security through “hybrid operations” along the 800-mile border between Russia and the Nordic nation. X VIA GOVERNMENT OF FINLAND THE WATCH STAFF Newly elected Finland President Alexander Stubb visited his country’s border with Russia on March 27, 2024, as the government discusses measures to give Finns more tools to deter “hybrid influence” operations by its eastern neighbor. A little more than a week later, the government announced an indefinite extension of the border…
Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldiers traveled to Barbados in February 2024 to train defense and security personnel on how to handle public disorder situations. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bermuda Regiment trained police, prison and defense personnel from seven other Caribbean nations on how to teach public order techniques, part of a longstanding practice of regional collaboration. Two Royal Bermuda Regiment soldiers traveled to Barbados recently to lead the training as part of the Regional Security System, a coalition of Caribbean member states that work together to address common security issues. The soldiers taught security personnel from Antigua…
Norway announced plans in April 2024 to buy long-range drones, possibly similar to the RQ-B Global Hawk, to bolster its surveillance of the Barents Sea and Arctic region. NORTHRUP GRUMMANN THE WATCH STAFF Norway will purchase large drones capable of long-range surveillance in the Barents Sea and station them at a reopened air base on an island in the far north of the Nordic country. The government announced the reopening of Andøya Air Station, 300 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, in April 2024, saying the plans to buy the drones will improve Norway’s domain awareness in an increasingly tense…
The Norwegian High North has received increasing U.S. attention in recent years. In late March 2024, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Under Secretary Dmitri Kusnezov made his second visit to Tromsø , pictured above, in less than a year. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF A high-ranking U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official recently visited northern Norway for the second time in less than a year to study a range of potential threats to the United States homeland. Under Secretary Dimitri Kusnezov said he visited the Arctic city of Tromsø to gain insight into the region and receive briefings on…
U.S. Marines with Marine Air Control Squadron (MACS) 24, Marine Air Control Group 48, 4th Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Forces Reserve, deploy an AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR (Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar) in preparation of Exercise Arctic Edge 2024 in Fort Greely, Alaska. LANCE CPL. KANOA THOMAS/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF The United States, alongside allies and partners, is increasing cold weather capabilities and fostering interoperability through numerous collaborative multi-domain exercises in the Arctic regions of North America and Europe. From February 23 to March 11, 2024, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) conducted Arctic Edge 2024, a comprehensive joint and combined multidomain cold…
Royal Bermuda Regiment Soldiers conduct military operations in urban terrain during Exercise Island Warrior 24, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, on April 17, 2024. LANCE CPL. LORIANN DAUSCHER/U.S. MARINE CORPS THE WATCH STAFF Soldiers from four British Overseas Territories traveled to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina in April 2024 to participate in Exercise Island Warrior 24. The two-week exercise involved firearms training and urban combat simulations and gave members from the Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) and the Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment (TCIR) opportunities to hone their warfighting skills and practice interoperability with other…
The U.S. Coast Guard, in collaboration with the security forces of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, has apprehended hundreds of Haitian migrants traveling in dangerous conditions. U.S. COAST GUARD THE WATCH STAFF The Caribbean region, a crucial approach to the U.S. homeland, has experienced a significant increase in illegal migrants in recent years, a surge amplified more recently by the exodus of migrants out of Haiti. In early April 2024, the Bahamas, a U.S. ally, and the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI), a Caribbean partner, worked together to detain hundreds of migrants in operations conducted in cooperation…