United States and Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) commanders met on Andros Island at the U.S. Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) in late July 2025 as the countries strengthen their longstanding partnership. The U.S. naval underwater testing facility is used for training and testing of submarines, and the visit was designed to more closely integrate the U.S. base’s capabilities with the RBDF’s mission to defend The Bahamas. RBDF Commodore Floyd Moxey made the courtesy call to Cmdr. Jeremy Reed at the AUTEC facility, which allows the U.S. Navy to use the 20-mile-wide and 150-mile-long flat-bottomed trench known as…
The Watch
A Canadian defense panel has recommended that the country proceed with buying 88 F-35 warplanes as the unmatched fighter jet would best fulfill Canada’s obligations under international commitments such as the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and NATO. The $14 billion acquisition would be the largest overhaul of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in decades and would enhance the defense capabilities of the northernmost nation in North America. A military review board indicated that the government should continue with the purchase of the remaining 72 planes from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin. The contract, finalized in 2023, has been…
Shipbuilders from Canada, Finland and the United States have teamed up in a bid to build icebreaking vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard. Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana, Rauma Marine Constructions in Finland, Seaspan Shipyards in Canada, and the Finnish design and engineering company Aker Arctic have formed a partnership to deliver “the lowest-risk, fastest delivery solution” for expanding U.S. Arctic maritime capabilities, a news release said. A few weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump signed his “One Big Beautiful Bill” into law on July 4, 2025, providing $3.5 billion for construction of three medium icebreakers called Arctic security cutters, the four…
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) Coast Guard led 10 search and rescue operations, conducted 136 patrols and made four arrests in June 2025, Minister of National Security Michael Weeks told Bermuda’s House of Assembly in testimony July 18. He also acknowledged that, amid the successes, the Coast Guard still faces “ongoing challenges.” “This dedicated team of 14 full-time and 22 reserve Soldiers is fully mobilized for robust summer operations, reinforcing weekend and holiday shifts to maximize visibility and enhance response capabilities during peak boating periods,” Weeks told members of Parliament (MPs). He also noted, “they partnered with Police and Customs…
A warning to pilots was issued in the Svalbard archipelago in July 2025 after Norwegian officials determined there had been attempts to confuse flight traffic using deceptive spoofing techniques, a longtime Russian tactic. Demilitarized by treaty, Svalbard lies at the edge of the Arctic, a region rich in resources with increasingly more navigable shipping routes as sea ice melts. Although no actor has been identified in the latest incident, it is the first attempt to disrupt air travel to the world’s northernmost airport with regular passenger service. Spoofing deceives GPS receivers with false signals, causing aeronautic systems to calculate an…
Mexican security forces destroyed two drug labs and seized nearly 5,000 kilograms of methamphetamine in Sinaloa in July 2025, the latest high-profile raid in the heart of the Sinaloa cartel’s power center. The operation, conducted by the Mexican Navy, National Guard and other security forces, also captured chemical precursors and equipment. In total, the forces disrupted a $70 million illicit manufacturing operation, and the case has been turned over to the federal Attorney General’s office, according to a news release from Mexico’s Secretariat of the Navy. Along with the Navy, the Secretariat of Defense, which controls the Army and Air…
Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. Kyle C. Paul stepped into his new role as Deputy Combined Joint Force Space Component commander (DCJFSCC) of U.S. Space Forces – Space (S4S) on July 21 at its headquarters at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. It’s a top role at U.S. Space Command, and Paul will be supporting Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, S4S commander and Combined Joint Force Space Component commander. Paul’s promotion is a milestone in U.S.-Canada defense collaboration and in the critical domain of space operations. “Brig. Gen. Paul’s position reflects the strength and depth of our allied integration,” Schiess said. “At S4S, we don’t…
The Bahamas has a lot of maritime territory to cover. To that end, its government announced in July 2025 that it is negotiating the purchase of a flagship offshore patrol vessel, the fifth new ship for the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) this year as the force rapidly modernizes and expands its fleet. The 62-meter vessel boosts national security efforts and aids in efforts to combat drug smuggling, human trafficking and illegal fishing, RBDF Commodore Floyd Moxey told a parliamentary committee. “What we have been doing is focusing on ensuring that our fleet is at basically optimum capability. That would…
The leaders of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Washington, D.C., in August 2025, presenting a united front in opposition to Russian aggression in Ukraine. The summit took place three days after U.S. President Donald J. Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at an Alaskan military base to discuss ways to end the war. The August 18 meeting involving the European leaders took place at the White House, where the participants agreed that Ukraine would continue to receive their support in its fight to repel the Russian invasion.…
The United States Senate, in a voice vote July 17, confirmed Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein to lead President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome for America missile defense program, one of the most complex and expensive defense projects in Pentagon history. As program manager, he will develop the Golden Dome’s portfolio of capabilities and execute its planned architecture. The Golden Dome project envisions a network of space-based missiles launched from satellites to intercept ballistic, cruise, hypersonic and next-generation missiles. The timeline set by Trump is three years. The U.S. has estimated the cost at $175 billion; the Congressional Budget Office says…