The Niirala border checkpoint between Finland and Russia is pictured in Tohmajärvi, Finland, on December 15, 2023. Finland announced its border with Russia would remain closed until January 14, 2024, because of Russia’s efforts to send waves of migrants through. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The Finnish government has extended its border closures with Russia for the third time, with border restrictions remaining in effect until February 11, 2024. Finland first closed its Russian border in November 2023 after Moscow sent waves of migrants to overwhelm border crossings, endangering the Nordic nation’s national security. It’s the latest act of Russian…
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The Royal Bahamas Defence Force recently collaborated with U.S. and Turks and Caicos Islands security personnel to apprehend a smuggling operation that was transporting nearly $3 million in marijuana. ROYAL BAHAMAS DEFENCE FORCE THE WATCH STAFF Cooperation between regional allies and partners resulted in the arrest of four men smuggling nearly 3,000 pounds of marijuana in the Bahamas. The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) and the U.S. collaborated to apprehend the high-speed vessel near Ragged Island in Bahamian waters, according to a news release from the RBDF. The late December 2023 interception was made…
Laser-guided bombs on the flight deck of the HMS Elizabeth aircraft carrier are ready to be loaded into F35-B Lightning jets for a live-fire exercise. U.K. MINISTRY OF DEFENSE THE WATCH STAFF A United Kingdom-led naval expeditionary force patrolled the Baltic Sea, United Kingdom waters and Norwegian Sea in December 2023 to maintain security in the High North. The mission was a response to prevent further damage to critical infrastructure in the region. Undersea communication and gas cables in the Baltic were targeted in October 2023. The Finnish National Bureau of Investigation said evidence points to the cargo ship Newnew…
Yasin Abu Bakr, right, led a small army that stormed Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament in 1990. He is shown here speaking with a fellow member of his group, Jamaat al Muslimeen, at their compound in Trinidad. Bakr, who was never convicted of any charges, died in October 2021. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS DR. SANJAY BADRI-MAHARAJ Trinidad has become the epicenter of radical jihadi sentiment in the Caribbean, some of which has found expression in violent criminal gangs. A group called the Jamaat al Muslimeen began in the 1980s as a small criminal organization. It obtained funding, training and weapons from Libya,…
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…
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)…