THE WATCH STAFF Struck by a single missile launched from a fighter jet, a container ship the length of three football fields took just 40 seconds to sink beneath the Gulf of Mexico. The plunging tip of its bow was the last to disappear, sending a geyser skyward. The experiment known as the Quicksink Joint Capability Technology Demonstration, conducted April 28, 2022, by the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Eglin Air Force Base Integrated Test Team, had earned its name. The missile represents the modification of a modification: A special “seeking” device for added precision and acquisition is attached…
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REUTERS Copenhagen’s pledge of Harpoon anti-ship missiles and a launcher to Ukraine, announced by the United States on May 23, 2022, is the first sign since the Russian invasion in February that Kyiv will receive U.S.-made weapons that significantly extend its striking range. Ukraine has been seeking more advanced weapons such as air defenses, anti-ship missiles and longer-range rockets, but the majority of aid has been in short-range systems such as Javelin anti-tank weapons and artillery. The Harpoons, made by Boeing Co., could be used to push the Russian navy away from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, allowing exports of grain…
REUTERS The Biden administration on May 20, 2022, once again placed Cuba on a short list of countries the United States alleges are “not cooperating fully” in its fight against terrorism, further inflaming tensions with its longtime rival. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in the final assessment published in the U.S. Federal Register, named Cuba among five countries — along with Iran, North Korea, Venezuela and Syria — that the U.S. says fall short of its expectations. The State Department is required by law to provide this list annually to the U.S. Congress. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez anticipated the…
THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Air Force has let fly with a hypersonic arrow — the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW). The Air Force’s first successful flight test of the missile May 14, 2022, came after three unsuccessful ones. During the latest test off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW deployed from the wing of a B-52H Stratofortress, achieved booster ignition, then burned for an “expected duration” while reaching hypersonic speeds,according to a May 16, 2022, Air Force news release. Hypersonic weapons are highly maneuverable missiles that travel at least five times the speed of sound. The 419th…
THE WATCH STAFF A 28-member team from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) participated in Tradewinds 22 (TW22), a recent multinational exercise co-hosted by Belize and Mexico. TW22, held May 7-21, 2022, is a Caribbean-focused exercise conducted in ground, air, sea and cyber domains. The 23 participating nations ⸺ including Canada, Mexico and the United States ⸺ got the opportunity to conduct joint, combined and interagency training focused on increasing regional security cooperation. The members of the RBDF team, led by Director of Communications Branch Capt. Carlon Bethell, were divided between two training areas: cybersecurity and ground operations (jungle warfare,…
THE WATCH STAFF The Canadian Army recently hosted Soldiers from the United Kingdom and United States as part of Maple Resolve (MR22), an annual exercise that simulates contemporary warfare. The exercise, which provides force-on-force training for Canadian Army leaders and Soldiers, was held May 10-22, 2022, at 3rd Canadian Division Support Base Detachment Wainwright (Detachment Wainwright) in Alberta. “Our Canadian Armed Forces are always ready to serve in both domestic and international missions,” Minister of National Defence Anita Anand said in a May 22 news release. “Exercise Maple Resolve 22 is a great example of the commitment of our members to operational readiness and…
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Serbia in late April 2022 publicly displayed a recently delivered Chinese anti-aircraft missile system, raising concerns in the West and among some of Serbia’s neighbors that an arms buildup in the Balkans could threaten fragile peace in the region. The sophisticated HQ-22 surface-to-air system, pictured, was delivered by a dozen Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes in what was thought to be the largest-ever airlift delivery of Chinese arms to Europe. Although Serbia officially seeks membership in the European Union, it has been arming itself mostly with Russian and Chinese weapons, including T-72 battle tanks, MiG-29 fighter…
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Sweden has decided to join neighboring Finland in seeking NATO membership, ending more than two centuries of military nonalignment in a historic shift prompted by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, pictured, warned that the Nordic country would be in a vulnerable position during the application period and urged her fellow citizens to brace themselves for the Russian response. “Russia has said that that it will take countermeasures if we join NATO,” she said. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed to, for instance, disinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”…
Forum Staff The U.S. Army is considering a plan to reconfigure its Alaska-based Stryker Brigade into a more mobile infantry unit better suited for cold-weather fighting in the Arctic. Army Secretary Christine Wormuth said she expects to decide soon about the unit, known for its heavy eight-wheeled vehicles. “I think right now the purpose of Army forces in Alaska is much more about creating an extreme cold-weather capable formation” that could be used in Europe or the Indo-Pacific, Wormuth told The Associated Press (AP) during a recent trip to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. “We’re trying to get to a place…
THE WATCH STAFF The United States Senate unanimously approved Adm. Linda Fagan to be the next commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The Senate’s approval May 11, 2022, made Fagan — a self-professed “former icebreaker Sailor” — the first woman to lead a U.S. military branch and comes at a crucial time for the USCG as it modernizes its fleet and boosts its presence in the Arctic, where commercial activity and strategic competition are increasing. “Adm. Fagan’s leadership, experience and integrity are second to none, and I know she will advance the Coast Guard’s mission to ensure our nation’s maritime safety…