The USCG Healy, pictured on an Arctic voyage, was tracked by a Russian vessel as it drew near the Russian Arctic coastline in early September 2005. THE WATCH STAFF A U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker recently traversed the Arctic Circle to support naval research on the evolution of the Arctic Sea while being tracked by a Russian vessel. The USCG Healy departed from the U.S. Coast Guard base at Kodiak Island on August 26, sailing into the Bering Strait. The icebreaker later entered the Chukchi Sea on August 30 and continued north into the Arctic Ocean before turning toward the Russian…
The Watch
Swedish troops participate in a 2018 military exercise with U.S and German allies. THE WATCH STAFF An aggressive Russia and a warming Arctic climate should motivate Sweden to rethink its military strategy in the region, a Swedish government researcher suggests. Henrik Persson, a deputy analyst for the Swedish Defence Research Agency, wrote that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be a learning experience for Sweden about what it takes to counter aggression, according to an August 16, 2023, post on the agency’s website. The world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion – crippling sanctions, military aid for Ukraine and a strengthening NATO alliance…
A joint interdiction involving the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the U.S. Coast Guard and Turks and Caicos personnel occurred on August 13, 2023, and resulted in the interception of 145 Haitian migrants. THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF), operating jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard and Turks and Caicos Islands personnel, intercepted a ship with 145 Haitian migrants on August 13, 2023. Bahamian authorities provided the migrants with medical care, food and water, and accommodations after the interdiction by the patrol vessel HMBS Bahamas, which had two service members from the Turks and Caicos Islands on board…
THE WATCH STAFF A U.S. Air Force KC-135R Stratotanker arrives at Ørland Air Station, Norway, in 2020. Norway is reexamining its defense strategy toward Russia after its eastern neighbor’s invasion of Ukraine last year. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has senior Norwegian military officials reexamining their country’s defense strategy toward its aggressive neighbor. Self-imposed Norwegian restrictions of military flight activity near the country’s border with Russia should be phased out, a Norwegian general said. According to Lt. Gen. Rune Jakobsen, former commander of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, stated in the Norwegian newspaper VG in August 2023, “We need a totally new…
Chinese Ambassador Dai Qingli, left, presents Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis with a gift to mark the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. R. EVAN ELLIS The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has been making a series of strategic investments in the Bahamas that include ports, multimillion-dollar construction projects and tourism ventures. It’s part of an influence campaign, according to March 2023 testimony by Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, the leader of U.S. Northern Command, that involves “efforts to gain a foothold only 50 miles from the U.S. East Coast.” It’s a campaign that has expanded over two decades, and one that…
An LC-130 Hercules aircraft sits on an Arctic skiway created by the 109th Airlift Wing. THE WATCH STAFF Defending the U.S. homeland around-the-clock from an array of threats across North America was the theme of the most recent Homeland Defense Awareness Symposium (HDAS) in Colorado Springs, which attracted more than 100 government, industry and academic participants. Organized by the Homeland Defense Institute at the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) on July 18-19, 2023, the annual symposium’s theme was “Homeland Defense 24-7.” Geographically based panels and breakout sessions on the…
Royal Air Force Typhoon fighters, such as the one pictured in this file photo, scrambled to shadow Russian long-range bombers operating near Scotland on August 14, 2023. THE WATCH STAFF The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected and tracked four Russian warplanes on August 13-14, 2023, within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). At the same time, the British and Dutch air forces scrambled jets to monitor two Russian bombers operating in Europe. “This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat,” NORAD said in a news release. Russian aircraft also…
A NORAD F-15C aircraft from the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during Operation Noble Defender. THE WATCH STAFF Another iteration of a joint military operation conducted by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) began August 15, 2023, in Alaska, and involved personnel and equipment from the U.S. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines and the Royal Canadian Armed Forces. The latest chapter of Operation Noble Defender, which ended September 10, demonstrates the capability of the United States and Canada to detect and deter potential threats to North…
Ensign Zane Miagany, a marine science officer on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy, demonstrates use of bridge equipment to an officer from the Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier in July 2023. The crews conducted a passenger exchange with the CCGS Sir Wilfrid Laurier off the coast of Utqiagvik, Alaska. THE WATCH STAFF The United States’ largest and most technologically advanced polar icebreaker met up with a Canadian counterpart in the Beaufort Sea in August 2023, demonstrating the allies’ coordination and joint efforts in the Arctic region. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy conducted joint operations with Canadian…
Royal Bahamas Defence Forces vessel HMBS Bahamas participated in a joint operation with Turks and Caicos personnel and the United States Coast Guard to apprehend 145 illegal migrants from Haiti on August 13. THE WATCH STAFF The Bahamas has proposed a maritime boundary with the Turks and Caicos Islands that would equally divide the waters separating the two. The proposal by Bahamian Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell came during negotiations between his nation and the British Overseas Territory. It’s the third round of formal negotiations on a maritime boundary between the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands and the first since…