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…
The Watch
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…
The small city of Bode in northern Norway is vulnerable to Russian cyberattacks and intelligence threats, the county’s police chief told local businesspeople in late September 2023. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The police chief of a northern county of Norway recently warned local businesses, governments and cultural institutions to step up security in the face of increased threats from Russia. Nordland Police Chief Heidi Klokstad was blunt in her October 2023 comments to the High North News. “Russia is the most central threat right now,” Klokstad told the newspaper. Norway is a key Arctic ally of the U.S., which…
The Royal Canadian Air Force is transitioning its fleet from CF-18s (pictured) to F-35s, but the service faces other challenges, experts agree. U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF A panel of military experts discussed the challenges confronting a key U.S. ally’s air force in a recent online discussion. The hourlong webinar, presented by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), featured three academics who outlined the future of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and its roles in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and NATO. Although the RCAF is transitioning its war plane inventory from aging CF-18s to F-35s,…
China-based security surveillance company Hikvision has a significant presence in Mexico. AFP/GETTY IMAGES R. EVAN ELLIS/U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE Third of three parts. Despite being in competition for lower-wage factory work for decades, Mexico and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have deep economic and social links. Trade is growing, especially in sectors like telecommunications and mining of rare earth minerals, and the PRC has cultivated deeper ties through Chinese language schools and other cultural initiatives. Although some exchanges between the PRC and Mexican militaries have occurred, the PRC hasn’t pursued major weapons purchases or sales in Mexico, nor has…
Mexico must balance economic and political risks to the People’s Republic of China. AFP/GETTY IMAGES R. EVAN ELLIS/U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE Second of three parts The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has poured resources into influence-building campaigns in Mexico. Perhaps the largest overt effort by the PRC is in education, with five state-sponsored Confucius Institutes spreading the Chinese language and culture and extending the PRC’s cultural and diplomatic reach. The PRC also has a hand in the rampant crime and violence besetting Mexico through its links to Mexican-based triads and other transcontinental criminal organizations (TCO), which act as liaisons between…