THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.S. Department of Defense plans to build a mobile nuclear microreactor prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho. The department in late April 2021 signed off on the Project Pele plan to build the reactor and reactor fuel outside of Idaho and then assemble and operate the reactor at the lab. The decision follows a 600-page environmental impact statement that includes public comments evaluating alternatives for building and operating a gas-cooled microreactor that could produce 1 to 5 megawatts of power. “Advanced nuclear power has the potential to be a strategic game-changer for the United States,…
The Watch
THE WATCH STAFF The Canadian Army’s next leader will be a trailblazer when he assumes leadership of the service. Lt. Gen. Jocelyn Paul, pictured, has been chosen to be the Army’s commander and will be the first Indigenous Canadian to serve in that position, the Department of National Defence (DND) announced April 21, 2022. Paul’s appointment was part of what the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC) called a “major shakeup” of Canadian Armed Forces leadership as new commanders were also tapped for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). It also comes as Canada takes on the…
THE WATCH STAFF Mexico’s Army is launching an offensive against organized crime to combat a recent wave of violence. The first destination: Tijuana, the border city where the Army sent a Special Forces task force April 26, 2022, to target a specific list of criminals suspected of being behind the violence that claimed more than 120 lives before the end of April, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper. Over the past three years, Tijuana has averaged more than 2,000 homicides per year, and robberies and assaults are also up, according to statistics from the Baja California Attorney General, according to…
THE WATCH STAFF As the commander tasked with protecting North America, U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck says one threat from potential adversaries particularly worries him: advanced cruise missiles. VanHerck, who heads U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), counted the ways in an April 25, 2022, conversation with the Defense Writers Group. “Conventional cruise missiles or hypersonic cruise missiles, low-radar cross-section cruise missiles, cruise missiles from Russia, cruise missiles from China, potentially other countries. Cruise missiles that can be launched from undersea, from 100 miles-plus off the coast. Cruise missiles from on the…
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden says it is barring anti-satellite missile testing by the United States, a move that White House officials say underscores its hopes of establishing new norms for military action in space. The U.S. has sharply criticized the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia for conducting anti-satellite missile tests. The issue has taken on greater urgency after Russia in November 2021 launched a missile to destroy a defunct Soviet-era satellite. U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, in a speech at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central coast of California, criticized the…
REUTERS Russia is worried about increased activity of NATO forces in the Arctic and sees risks of “unintended incidents” in the region, said Russia’s ambassador-at-large, Nikolai Korchunov, according to the Russian state-controlled news agency TASS. In March 2022, Finland and Sweden, which are considering joining the NATO alliance, conducted combined NATO military drills. The exercise was long planned, but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 added intensity to the war game. Moscow describes its actions in Ukraine as a “special military operation.” “The recent increase in NATO’s activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale military exercise of the…
THE WATCH STAFF The Canadian military is in the process of launching a space division. The United States’ partner in the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) is seeking to establish a space division in 2022 as it further develops its capabilities in the orbital domain. “It makes logical sense for us to look at standing up a Canadian Space Division that basically generates those forces that will then be able to be employed in operations for Army, Air Force, Navy and SOF [Special Operations Forces],” Brig. Gen. Michael Adamson, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) director general for space,…
SWEDISH ARMED FORCES To realize the full potential and growing geopolitical role of the Arctic, one must understand the complex challenges of the area. In late 2020, the Swedish government issued a strategy for the Arctic, including how to manage geopolitical challenges. The strategy identified three geostrategic changes and trends: the security policy consequences of new access to the Arctic’s natural resources, and sea lines of communications; the new military dynamic in the Arctic region, particularly increased Russian activity and military build-up in Russian territory; and the growing number of non-Arctic states expressing interest in the Arctic, notably the People’s…
NETHERLANDS ARMED FORCES The polar regions are important for the Netherlands and for the health of the planet. Their vulnerable ecosystems have been severely affected by climate change, which is leading to major ice loss and is threatening the biodiversity of the polar regions. These developments have both direct and indirect consequences for the Netherlands, such as sea-level rise due to the melting polar ice caps, more extreme global weather, changes in biodiversity, new economic opportunities and changing geopolitical relations. For some time now, Dutch polar policy has rested on three key concepts: sustainability, international cooperation and scientific research. Even…
BRITISH ARMED FORCES The Arctic is increasingly important to the United Kingdom. We might not be an Arctic nation, but we are its nearest neighbor. Our northern-most isles are closer to the Arctic than to London. The U.K. already has long-standing commercial, security, environmental and scientific commitments in the region. But, as the polar ice caps melt and new sea lanes emerge, the threats to the region are growing even as opportunities increase. That is why the U.K. published its first Arctic strategy: “U.K. Defence Contribution in the High North.” Its four key objectives offer a clear articulation of strategic…