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…
The Watch
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…
British and Danish fighters shadow a U.S. B-1 bomber during Operation Tower Guardian. THE WATCH STAFF Operation Tower Guardian, a bomber intercept involving warplanes from seven allied nations across airspace spanning the Arctic, is the latest demonstration of the commitment of the United States and its allies and partners to defend against threats to the international rules-based order. The June 26, 2023, event, an iteration of ongoing Operation Noble Defender, showed the readiness of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) to deter and defend against threats to the homeland. The operation also displayed the…
Bill Blair is sworn in as Canada’s minister of national defense as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on at Rideau Hall in Ontario, Canada. THE WATCH STAFF Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has turned to a former Toronto police chief to be his new minister of national defense at a critical time in his country’s joint effort with the United States to modernize the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Trudeau appointed Bill Blair on July 26, replacing Anita Anand, who now leads the country’s Treasury Board. Blair told the Canadian Broadcast Corp. (CBC) shortly after his appointment that…
Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee in March 2022. THE WATCH STAFF Much like footprints left on the white sand beaches of the Caribbean, the imprints made by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) can be found all over the region. But unlike the tracks of beachgoers, the Chinese presence is not so easily swept away. By using tools ranging from government loans to business investment to cultural exchange, the PRC has extended its reach well beyond the Indo-Pacific and is challenging the…
THE WATCH STAFF With Finland having joined NATO in April 2023 and Sweden expected to soon become a member, Russia will remain the only nation on the Arctic Council not aligned with NATO. As a result, Russian actors are waging disinformation campaigns within Sweden and Finland to cause dissension in the populations of the two countries to sour their entrance into the alliance. Overall, Finland and Sweden’s ascension to NATO are positive from the United States’ and Western perspective. However, Russia perceives it to pose a serious security threat. According to Russian propaganda and disinformation efforts, the ascension of Finland…
The guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold was one of four destroyers dispatched to shadow a flotilla of Russian and Chinese vessels near Alaska. THE WATCH STAFF The United States military tracked a joint Russian and Chinese naval flotilla from the start of its more than 4,200-kilometer voyage, and U.S. destroyers shadowed it in international waters when the warships arrived off the coast of Alaska in August 2023. This is an example of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) with its allies and partners continuously monitoring Russian and Chinese naval activities and conducting defensive operations in the USNORTHCOM area of responsibility (AOR) and area…
National Guard Sgt. David Breaud directs a high-water vehicle down a flooded road in Grant Parish, Louisiana, following torrential downpours in March 2016. Military support for civil authorities during natural disasters is a key part of the resilience strategy. ELENA FARNSWORTH To compete globally, we must be strong at home. These words serve as a pillar of United States Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) strategy to protect the U.S. homeland. While he leads this mission, USNORTHCOM’S commander also is designated as the Department of Defense (DOD) coordinator during execution of defense support to civil authorities (DSCA) operations within the USNORTHCOM area of…