The isolated Svalbard peninsula, about halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole, has seen increased presence by the Norwegian military in recent years. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF A visit from a high-ranking Norwegian military commander to a demilitarized Arctic peninsula provides a glimpse of the Nordic country’s changing defensive posture after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, chief of the Norwegian Joint Headquarters, the operational command center of the Norwegian Armed Forces, arrived in the Svalbard peninsula on the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel KV Svalbard on September 21, 2023. The peninsula has been demilitarized by treaty…
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Royal Bahamas Defence Force naval ships, along with an air wing and amphibious brigade, have demonstrated domain awareness to stem illegal trafficking in the Caribbean. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) detained 17 Ecuadorian migrants and two alleged human traffickers in September 2023 as the armed forces of Caribbean nations continue to confront sources of regional instability caused by transnational criminal organizations. Recent political upheaval in Ecuador amid rising crime rates and cartel activity has prompted tens of thousands of Ecuadorians to flee their country. That trend has only intensified in recent months, The New…
U.S. Naval Special Warfare Operators (SEALs) patrol Shemya Island, Alaska, as part of Operation Polar Dagger. U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF A recent joint military exercise in Alaska provided an opportunity for personnel from U.S. Special Forces Command North (SOCNORTH) to improve their knowledge of Arctic conditions while demonstrating operational reach and domain awareness by integrating with the USS John P. Murtha in the Bering Sea. Operation Polar Dagger showcased the ability of special forces operators to deploy new and emerging technologies and demonstrate their ability to defend critical infrastructure in austere locations. The exercise, which occurred from August 15…
Marcelo Ebrard, then Mexican foreign affairs secretary, left, speaks with Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping in November 2022. X R. EVAN ELLIS/U.S. ARMY WAR COLLEGE First of three parts Mexico’s relationship with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has always been complex. Although Chinese migrants formed an important part in Mexico’s national story, the perceived “otherness” of the Chinese community and competition for work led to occasional violence against ethnic Chinese as reported in The Guardian newspaper in 2021. As the PRC’s economy has grown, the position of both countries as manufacturing exporters led many Mexicans to see…
Commodore Raymond King of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force called the security framework between the Bahamas and the United States “a lifesaver.” GERALDINE COOK/DIÁLOGO AMERICAS The Bahamas offers a paradise for tourists with its white sandy shores, blue waters, fishing, and scuba diving, but it is also a transnational criminal organization’s maritime haven for drugs and human trafficking, illegal fishing and related crimes. To counter those security threats, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) partners with local and regional agencies banking on the strength that comes from interoperability. Commodore Raymond King, RBDF commander, spoke with Diálogo Americas magazine during the…
The People’s Republic of China has invested in many ports in Latin America, including Freeport in the Bahamas. JULIETA PELCASTRE/ DIÁLOGO AMERICAS The number of Chinese-owned or operated ports worldwide has been steadily on the rise, according to a late 2022 study by the U.S.-based national security and defense think tank Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS). The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) foothold in some 40 ports in Latin America from Peru to Mexico, combined with 11 satellite ground stations in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Venezuela, allows the country to have strategic locations in the Western Hemisphere, the…
Personnel from the Swedish Amphibious Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps ride on a fast assault craft as they participate in the military exercise Archipelago Endeavor 23 in the Stockholm Archipelago on September 13, 2023. It was the first major military exercise between the U.S. and Swedish militaries after the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Swedish government said on September 11, 2023, that it wants to increase its defense budget by 28%, putting it on track to reach the military spending target of 2% of gross domestic product set by NATO, which the Scandinavian country is…
The 38th iteration of Operation Trade Winds gave a Canadian detachment the chance to get to know their Caribbean allies better and increase interoperability. THE WATCH STAFF Canada’s recent participation in the 38th iteration of Operation Tradewinds met the country’s goals for strengthening bonds with allied militaries, deepening its knowledge of the Caribbean and increasing the interoperability of the Canadian Armed Forces with those of 20 other nations, according to the Canadian Department of National Defence. Tradewinds, a two-week multinational exercise in July that took place in Guyana. involved more than 1,500 participants, including military, civilians and law enforcement personnel,…
Recent Chinese activity in the Arctic such as the recent voyage of the Xue Long 2 has raised concerns in the West, but it may prove more threatening to Russia in the long term. ADAM LAJEUNESSE, Ph.D./BRIAN MULRONEY INSTITUTE As the icebreaker Xue Long 2 left Shanghai for China’s 13th Arctic expedition in July 2023, concerns mounted once again in the West that scientific work concealed the development of dual-purpose polar military technology or was paving the way for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to exploit natural resources or, perhaps, commence submarine operations. Accentuating these fears was a Canadian…
Morten Hoglund, Norway’s senior representative at the Artic Council, said his country has brokered an agreement to restart working group activities at the forum, which were suspended since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. THE WATCH STAFF The Arctic Council’s eight member states have agreed to resume activities at the working group level after a long pause sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 The council includes countries with territory in the Arctic region: Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. Seven of the council’s western nations agreed to pause their activities in March…