The Watch

THE WATCH STAFF Those planning for the future of U.S. special operations forces are considering new roles for the aircraft first known as the C-130 Hercules, a venerable air truck that made its inaugural flight in 1954 and already is regarded as the military’s Swiss Army knife. The C-130 was discussed during the May 2021 Special Operations Forces Industry Conference as a candidate for a program to develop a plane that can take off and land on water. The idea was repeated a year later at this year’s SOFIC, held at the home of Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida.…

THE WATCH STAFF The United States military is considering plans to bolster its involvement in military exercises with Finland and Sweden as NATO weighs the nations’ applications to join the alliance. Arriving in Helsinki on June 3 to meet with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and top military commanders, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Nordic countries bring “significant military capacity to NATO.” “We, the military, have a variety of plans with NATO … to conduct exercises in all the domains ― air, sea, land, et cetera. So, we’ll do that,” Milley told Defense…

THE WATCH STAFF The Pentagon has taken another step toward integrating autonomous weapons into its fighting forces with the creation of a Navy division to help develop drone surface ships. At the center of the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 1 (USV DIV 1) is a long, skinny trimaran developed by the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) that can lie in wait weeks at a time for an adversary’s stealthy diesel submarine to surface. This prototype, called Sea Hunter, and a second copy called Sea Hawk, join two other autonomous vessels — converted civilian offshore-supply ships — that now are assigned…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The USS Oregon officially joined the U.S. Navy fleet on May 28, 2022, marking the first submarine named after the Beaver State in more than a century. The newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, which can dive to depths of greater than 249 meters, was originally christened in 2019. But the COVID-19 pandemic created some “slips in schedule” for the crew, said U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, a Connecticut Democrat whose district includes General Dynamics Corp.’s electric Boat Shipyard where the 377-foot (115-meter) submarine was constructed. “But I think the record should be clear that despite that unprecedented disruption,…

THE WATCH STAFF Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) leaders are taking part in an intensive four-week course with regional and United States partners that is designed to build defense capacity through strategic thinking. The Strategic Leaders International Course (SLIC) of the Naval Small Craft Instruction and Technical Training School (NAVSCIATTS) is a four-week, in-residence offering that provides senior military leaders and government officials with new perspectives, methodologies and opportunities for addressing complex challenges. It runs from June 2 through June 30 at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The SLIC participants are introduced to systemic strategy design through…

REUTERS Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed hopes for deeper counterterrorism ties with the United States during talks with a top U.S. general in May 2022, following a deadly attack by militants in the Sinai peninsula, a U.S. military official said. The attack was claimed by Islamic State and killed 11 Egyptian troops. Militants descended on a checkpoint at a water pumping station, striking with an explosive-rigged vehicle and firing heavy weapons from pick-up trucks, Egyptian security sources said. It was one of the deadliest attacks in recent years in the northern Sinai. U.S. Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla, who…

THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Department of Defense is making strides protecting sensitive computer networks against cyberattacks from foreign adversaries, a federal watchdog agency says. In a May 2022 report, the Government Accounting Office wrote that as of January, the DOD had achieved 70% compliance in implementing four key protections tied to controlled unclassified information (CUI), including data related to possible critical technologies and weapons and defense infrastructure. “Safeguarding federal computer systems has been a longstanding concern,” the GAO wrote in a May 19, 2022, memo to congressional committees. “Underscoring the importance of this issue, we have included cybersecurity on…

THE WATCH STAFF Canada’s close military and economic ties with the United States are taking the spotlight with a series of high-level meetings and the expansion of a major weapons partnership. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on June 7, 2022, during a trip to attend the Ninth Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. Trudeau was accompanied in Colorado Springs by Anita Anand, Canada’s defense minister. “The Canada-United States partnership is forged by shared geography, values, and interests, deep personal connections, and strong economic ties,” according to the…

THE WATCH STAFF With Russia already occupying the Arctic and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) calling itself a “near-Arctic nation,” the United States must work toward greater persistence in the region to ensure its position as a player there, the commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) has said. This year, the U.S. military and its allies have made a number of moves in that direction. Here are some highlights: The military exercise Arctic Edge 2022 showcased interoperability among services and nations. The U.S. Navy has added new capabilities to its logistics in the high north. Special operators are adapting…

REUTERS Patrol craft manned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force set off each day from a former luxury resort hotel as the archipelago nation works to control a spike in migrants attempting to reach the United States on often rickety and overloaded boats. One increasingly popular hub for human smugglers is the island chain of Bimini, which is less than 50 nautical miles from Florida and is best known for its pristine turquoise seas and wealthy tourists on yachts. In January 2022, a sole survivor was found clinging to a capsized vessel that had been carrying him and 39 other…