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…
The Watch
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…
A B-52H Stratofortress assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, prepares to taxi on the main parking apron on September 6, 2023. AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ALEXANDER NOTTINGHAM/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF Key operational leaders in the U.S. nuclear force said the rotating bomber task forces (BTF) and the superior reach of the Air Force’s nuclear deterrent capabilities are more than a match for the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) growing nuclear stockpile. Col. Daniel S. Hoadley and Col. Kenneth C. McGhee said the PRC threat is “extremely real” and “tangible,” but that the…
A Raytheon Technologies’ illustration depicts the company’s over-the-horizon radar, which will detect and track low-altitude cruise missiles. RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGIES THE WATCH STAFF The U.S Air Force is looking to buy about 6,000 acres, potentially in the Pacific Northwest, to house four long-range radar systems capable of detecting the latest generation of Russian cruise missiles. The over-the-horizon radar systems (OTHR) will increase the ability of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command to detect threats and fill in gaps in domain awareness. Canada is also slated to buy two of the radars, said Paul Ferraro, president of…
The NewNew Polar Bear is suspected of causing damage to the Balticconector gas pipeline connecting Finland and Estonia. WIKIPEDIA THE WATCH STAFF Finland and Sweden are accusing a Russia-linked ship of damaging undersea gas pipelines and communication cables in the Baltic Sea this year. The NewNew Polar Bear is part of a four-ship convoy that has traversed the Northern Sea Route since late October 2023. It is expected to be the last voyage before the Arctic route freezes over for the winter. Before its Arctic journey, the NewNew Polar Bear was in the area when the infrastructure damage occurred in…
Adm. Rob Bauer, chair of NATO’s military committee, recently warned an Arctic gathering of increasing cooperation between the People’s Republic of China and Russia in the region. NATO THE WATCH STAFF NATO’s senior military official is concerned that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will try to convert its current shipping through Russia’s Northern Sea Route into a military presence in the Arctic. “We know there are military scientists on board these ships,” Adm. Rob Bauer, who chairs NATO’s military committee, told Bloomberg News on 21 October 2023. “They haven’t said they won’t go there militarily.” The PRC and Russia…
The People’s Republic of China has launched a new strategy to shape the global narrative in its favor, according to a recent analysis by Defense One. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has invested billions of dollars to wage “cognitive warfare” against its adversaries, primarily through social media, according to a recent analysis by the U.S. government-funded Defense One website. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) considers cognitive warfare equal to other warfare domains, including land, sea and air, and it seeks to dominate the international narrative about the PRC to achieve “victory without war.” A…
The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, pictured here on an earlier voyage to Gibraltar, sailed with its Norwegian counterpart, Norwegian frigate Otto Sverdrup, in NATO exercises off northern Norway between late September and mid-October 2023. WIKIPEDIA THE WATCH STAFF A Russian warplane was escorted out of the airspace above northern Norwegian waters in early October 2023 after it flew close to a British aircraft carrier taking part in NATO exercises. The Russian Ilyushin-38 Maritime Patrol Aircraft, based out of a nearby naval and airbase on the Kola peninsula, was met by two British F-35B fighters scrambled from the deck…