The Chinese Cosco Shipping Rose container ship sails near the new Cocoli locks in the Panama Canal in 2018. China has increasingly exerted financial influence in the country. AFP/GETTY IMAGES DIÁLOGO AMERICAS Nearly 6% of global trade and 57.5% of the cargo transported in containers that ship from Asia to the East Coast of the United States passes through the Panama Canal. Today, this important infrastructure is the focus of great concern in political, economic and academic sectors given the growing presence of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “China has turned Panama into a geographic and commercial concentration center…
The Watch
Members of the U.S. and Mexican militaries transport a simulated earthquake victim during Fuerzas Amigas 2024 in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Fuerzas Amigas is an annual disaster response exercise between the U.S. and Mexican militaries. CATHRYN LINDSAY/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF A contingent of U.S. forces traveled to Juarez, Mexico, in June 2024 to train with their Mexican counterparts in the latest iteration of Fuerzas Amigas, a natural-disaster response exercise. The five-day exercise provided training in disaster response operations and performed the equally important tasks of fostering closer ties to a critical partner at the U.S. southern border and developing…
Finland, one of NATO’s newest members, has been the target of aggressive Russian tactics since it joined the trans-Atlantic alliance in 2023. On June 10, 2024 , four Russian warplanes breached Finnish airspace. AFP/GETTY IMAGES The Watch Staff Four Russian warplanes breached Finnish airspace for the first time since the Nordic country joined NATO in 2023, leading Finland to launch an investigation. The four planes — two bombers and two fighters — spent only a few minutes in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland near the city of Loviisa on the morning of June 10, 2024, according to…
Paratroopers with 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, board a C-17 Globemaster III on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, prior to an airborne operation onto Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, in February 2024. CAPT. MOLLY TREECE/U.S. ARMY DR. TROY J. BOUFFARD/UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA FAIRBANKS Before February 2022, the Russian Federation continued to make notable progress on its Arctic strategic development priorities throughout all sectors. However, Moscow’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine not only stopped, but also degraded much of Russia’s Arctic military progress. Western cooperation rapidly paused or excluded Russian participation in many activities and organizations, including security-related activities such…
The Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) and Sector Coordinating Council (SCC) panel members educate the audience on the ISAC’s and SCC’s role in creating a resilient defense posture for a contested homeland. HOMELAND DEFENSE INSTITUTE CADET NANEA SATTERFIELD The Homeland Defense Institute (HDI) conducted the second annual Homeland Defense Awareness Symposium (HDAS) July 11-12, 2024, in conjunction with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) Joint Training and Education Academic Workshop (JTEAW) to provide an integrated forum for strengthening academia, government and industry collaboration. The institute hosted 118 participants from research centers, NORAD and…
U.S. Army Reserve Soldiers perform a preflight inspection on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter as part of staging and onward movement at the port of Kalundborg, Denmark, on April, 16, 2024. STAFF SGT. THOMAS MORT/U.S. ARMY RESERVES THE WATCH STAFF In a show of NATO unity and collaboration, hundreds of pieces of U.S. Army equipment arrived in Danish and Norwegian ports in April 2024 in advance of a U.S.-led NATO exercise, Immediate Response 24. The exercise included a massive road convoy of U.S. troops and equipment from Norway to Finland, which covers 885 kilometers and demonstrates the ability of NATO to…
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter James arrived at the Port of Buenos Aires, Argentina, as part of its multisession deployment in the South Atlantic Ocean to counter illicit maritime activities with host nations. MILKO SCHVARTZMAN DIÁLOGO AMERICAS In line with the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG) dedication to combating illicit maritime activities and to promote maritime security, the USCG Cutter James (WMSL 754) deployed to the South Atlantic Ocean to conduct joint missions with their South American counterparts aimed at combating illegal Chinese fishing in the region. Coastal South American countries have criticized the massive Chinese fishing fleet for its invasive…
A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail takes off during Black Flag 22-1 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, on May 10, 2022. The E-7A Wedgetail is equipped with high-powered radar and is used to monitor the battle space and provide friendly forces with an advantage over their opponents. It is the type of early warning aircraft being considered by the Canadian government. AIRMAN 1ST CLASS JOSEY BLADES/U.S. AIR FORCE THE WATCH STAFF Canada plans to spend $3.65 billion to purchase advanced early warning aircraft, officials confirmed to Aviation Week, an aerospace industry news magazine. The plans to upgrade Canada’s…
University of Alaska Anchorage students in the 2023 Arctic Summer Internship Program in Utqiaġvik gain hands-on learning experience from researchers studying the Arctic. ADAC-ARCTIC COE THE WATCH STAFF Nearly 200 people gathered in April 2024 to celebrate the opening of the Arctic Domain Awareness Center (ADAC)-ARCTIC Center of Excellence (COE) for Homeland Security at the University of Alaska Anchorage. The ribbon-cutting and reception featured a ceremonial lighting of the seal oil lamp by former ADAC Fellow Caitlyn Hanna and a fireside chat with a panel that included Dimitri Kusnezov, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) under secretary for science and…
A woman waves the Canadian and Northwest Territories flags near Yellowknife. The Canadian Armed Forces is building a new multipurpose facility in Yellowknife to increase its defense capabilities and forge deeper ties with surrounding Indigenous and Northern communities. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Canada will build a new multiuse facility in its Far North to enhance its ability to deploy forces and improve domain awareness. The Yellowknife defense facility and housing initiative also prioritizes the needs of neighboring Indigenous and local communities, giving the Canadian Armed Forces facility a dual military and civilian-use role that furthers the country’s goals of…