The Watch

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…

THE WATCH STAFF Canada has told its military to become more “assertive” in cyberspace as non-kinetic attacks increasingly become a facet of modern warfare, according to a report from the TV network Global News. The Canadian TV network based its report on a “cyber playbook” it obtained that was prepared by the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence (DND). The document was provided to Defence Minister Anita Anand and noted that threats facing Canada’s computer networks have “evolved significantly” since the government released its 2010 cyber strategy, according to Global News. The DND said its primary focus…

THE WATCH STAFF Representatives of the Rhode Island National Guard (RING) strengthened their partnership with the Bahamas during recent visits where they paid courtesy calls on Bahamian defense officials and participated in the inaugural Bilateral Security Cooperation Framework Executive Session. A relationship between Rhode Island and the Bahamas was established in 2005 through the United States Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program (SPP). It links the RING with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) in a mutually beneficial exchange to enhance diplomacy and security. Maj. Gen. Christopher Callahan, the RING adjutant general, paid a courtesy call on Minister of National…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS A COVID-19 patient was in respiratory distress, and the U.S. Army nurse had to act quickly. It was the peak of this year’s omicron surge, and an Army medical team was helping in a Michigan hospital. Regular patient beds were full. So was the intensive care unit. But the nurse heard of an open spot in an overflow treatment area, so she and another team member raced the gurney across the hospital to claim the space first, denting a wall in their rush. When she saw the dent, Lt. Col. Suzanne Cobleigh, leader of the Army team,…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The first overseas deployment of the Vermont Air National Guard’s F-35 fighter jets will have the pilots and their aircraft patrolling the skies of Europe during a period of heightened tension. More than 200 Vermont Air Guard personnel, their equipment and eight F-35s are now in Europe, where the pilots will fly enhanced air policing missions along NATO’s eastern flank to monitor the area for intrusions by Russian aircraft. The deployment marks the first time the Vermont Air National Guard, the first guard unit in the country to fly F-35s, has deployed overseas with the U.S. Air…