The Watch

THE WATCH STAFF Canada plans to update its aging fleet of fighter aircraft by buying the F-35A Lightning II — the most advanced U.S. warplane. Minister of Public Services and Procurement Filomena Tassi and Defence Minister Anita Anand announced March 28, 2022, that Lockheed Martin Corp. had been selected as the preferred bidder to supply 88 fighters to replace Canada’s CF-18s and F-18s — a big step toward the U.S. company winning the multibillion-dollar contract. (A formation of F-35A Lightning II’s during a readiness exercise March 25, 2022, at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.) Ottawa said it hopes to award…

THE WATCH STAFF The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge recently completed a Caribbean tour in which the British royal couple visited Belize and Jamaica before a final stop in the Bahamas. Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, made the trip to mark Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. The tour came as Commonwealth countries such as Jamaica reconsider their relationships with the British monarchy, and after Barbados dropped the queen as its head of state and became a republic, Reuters reported March 27, 2022. William, second in line to the British throne, acknowledged the changing nature of the Caribbean nation’s ties…

THE WATCH STAFF Canada and the United States demonstrated their interoperability in defense of North America during military exercises highlighted by the biennial Arctic Edge (AE), which was held across Alaska and ended March 16, 2022. “The Canadian Armed Forces is a key partner in Arctic safety, security and defense matters,” said Canadian Lt. Col. Jill Lutz, commanding officer of the Canadian Detachment at Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. In conjunction with the large-scale AE, several other joint exercises took place in the region: the U.S. Army’s Joint Pacific Multi Readiness Center, the Alaska Air National Guard’s Arctic Eagle-Patriot, the U.S.…

REUTERS Mexico deported the suspected leader of a drug cartel to the United States, authorities said on March 15, 2022, after his arrest spurred armed attacks against almost two dozen military installations and a U.S. consulate. Juan Trevino, also known as “El Huevo” or “The Egg,” was arrested March 13 in the northern Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. He was wanted for crimes including drug trafficking and money laundering. “It was a blow to one of the most important criminal organizations in the northeast of the country, with influence in at least five states and operations in the United States,” Rosa Rodriguez, Mexico’s security minister, said in…

U.S. Strategic Command Integrated deterrence is the foundation of the United States’ defense strategy, and interdependence across all domains is critical to effective deterrence. Prioritized and focused efforts are required to reduce cyber vulnerabilities in the conventional, nuclear and cyber domains. To that end, U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) and U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) partnered to deploy a cyber protection team (CPT) to Fairford, England, in October 2021 to enhance the information system and network security of the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B Lancer bombers. The two unified combatant commands next turned their sights toward the cybersecurity of U.S. strategic assets in…

U.S. STRATEGIC COMMAND The U.S. Air Force recently sent four B-52H Stratofortresses to Guam to conduct bomber task force (BTF) missions in the Indo-Pacific region with allies and partners. More than 220 Airmen assigned to the 96th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, deployed to the island in support of the operation February 9-March 9, 2022. “Every bomber task force mission demonstrates the credibility of our forces to address a global security environment that is more diverse and uncertain than at any other time in our history,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Coleman, commander of the 96th Expeditionary…

THE WATCH STAFF A “cautiously optimistic” government of the Bahamas recently eased COVID-19 restrictions in the Caribbean island nation. In making the March 12, 2022, announcement, the Ministry of Health and Wellness relaxed several pandemic rules, including those for cruise ships, social gatherings and masks, the Nassau Guardian newspaper reported. Minister of Health Dr. Michael Darville told the Guardian that in addition to the recent changes, he is closely watching the new omicron subvariant that is causing a surge in COVID-19 cases in Asia and Europe. “Our job is to monitor. As we monitor, we will take into consideration what’s…

THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) recently defeated incoming missiles in two separate flight tests — a step toward realizing Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2). The successful tests were carried out March 17, 2022, at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, IBCS manufacturer Northrop Grumman announced. The goal of the IBCS is to connect different types of missile-defense assets to improve command and control. JADC2 is the U.S. Department of Defense’s concept to connect sensors from all the military services — Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force — into one network, according to a…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The Mexican Army and National Guard on March 3, 2022, said they found almost 3 million rounds of ammunition and at least 16 fully automatic, belt-fed machine guns in raids on several houses in the northern border state of Sonora. The Defense Department said the seizure was the biggest haul of illegal ammunition in recent memory in Mexico. The ammunition, more than enough to supply a battalion-size force, was found in Navojoa during raids. Navojoa is a crossroads city in the southern part of Sonora several hundred miles from the U.S. border. Sonora has been the scene…

North Korea appears to be preparing to launch a reconnaissance satellite, a move that may prove as controversial as the nuclear-armed country’s weapons tests because they use the same banned ballistic missile technology, experts say. North Korea conducted a record seven missile launches in January 2022 and has suggested it could resume testing of nuclear weapons or its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017. After a test of satellite-related systems during a missile launch on March 6, 2022 — the second such test in a week — experts think it is just a matter of…