U.S. data indicates a drastic drop in fentanyl crossing the Mexico-U.S. border in 2025. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country’s efforts to disrupt drug trafficking have contributed to the decrease. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE WATCH STAFF Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said in June 2025 that seizures of fentanyl, a dangerous narcotic, have fallen by roughly 40% since January. Sheinbaum attributed the drastic drop in fentanyl seized in the United States as evidence of her government’s success in combating drug traffickers in Mexico and collaboration with the U.S. in combating the drug trade. Since assuming office in October 2024, Sheinbaum…
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The Norwegian-Russian border at Kirkenes, Norway, about 13 kilometers from Storskog, on October 16, 2023. REUTERS Following the example of its neighbor Finland, Norway put up fences at exposed sections of its border with Russia in May 2025, bolstering security at the Storskog border checkpoint. The action came a year after Norway closed its border with Russia. Authorities said they want to be more prepared in case Russia sends a wave of migrants toward Norway, as it did in 2015. That year, about 5,500 people from north Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia were flown north from Moscow to…
U.S. Soldiers assigned to Joint Task Force–Southern Border move to a patrol base near Tucson, Arizona, on May 11, 2025. Under the direction of U.S. Northern Command, the task force aligns efforts to seal the southern border and repel illegal activity. STAFF SGT. REMOI BROWN/U.S. ARMY More than 1,100 troops have been approved to deploy to the Mexico-U.S. border, U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) announced May 22. Among other duties, the service members with Joint Task Force-Southern Border will coordinate logistics, provide food, water and medical care to troops in the field, and build mobility routes and force protection infrastructure, USNORTHCOM said…
Soldiers assigned to 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, drive the Sgt. Stout to the firing range during Formidable Shield 25 on May 6, 2025, in Andøya, Norway. CAPT. ALEXANDER WATKINS/U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF The United States Army’s newest air defense platform recently held its first Arctic live fire alongside NATO allies, while another air defense unit deployed the Avenger Air Defense System in Africa for the first time. Soldiers of the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment (5-4 ADAR), joined NATO allies in the Arctic Circle near Andøya, Norway, for Exercise Formidable Shield 2025, testing the…
Canada wants to join in the development and eventual deployment of the Golden Dome for America missile defense system. The space-based system would integrate with land-based missile defenses to shield North America from attack. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed reporters in the Oval Office about the project on May 16, 2025. AFP/GETTY IMAGES THE WATCH STAFF Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney confirmed in May 2025 that his government has discussed with United States counterparts the possibility of extending the planned Golden Dome for America missile defense system to cover Canada. Carney said it would make sense for Canada to…
Royal Bahamas Defence Force Marine Aaliyah Newbold holds a defensive position while scanning the surroundings during exercise Tradewinds 25 in Trinidad and Tobago. SGT. SYMONE SIMON/U.S. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is readying a contingent of 150 recruits to bolster its ranks, many of whom are drawn from students who participate in the National Youth Guard programs in Bahamian high schools. The recruitment drive is designed to funnel recruits into a new training process that emphasizes military training and to address a long-standing personnel shortage. Bahamian National Security Minister Wayne Munroe said the…
The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor is a radar system used to detect and defeat advanced threats, including ballistic and hypersonic weapons. U.S. ARMY THE WATCH STAFF A United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) team’s low-cost target provided an operational assessment for the Army’s new Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar and the Soldiers who operated the system in a real-world scenario. The Black Dagger short-range ballistic missile target launched from Fort Wingate, New Mexico, into White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, in December 2024. Data showed the Black Dagger target was…
An MH-60S Seahawk assigned to the “Blackjacks” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 21 departs from the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Charleston in the Strait of Malacca on March 1, 2023. PETTY OFFICER 2ND CLASS DANIEL SERIANNI/U.S. NAVY THE WATCH STAFF The Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Charleston left its home port of Naval Base San Diego on May 20 to support the nation’s southern border operations, led by United States Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). The Charleston is replacing the San Diego-based guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale, which was dispatched to the region in April. Like the Stockdale, the Charleston embarked with…
The U.S. government sanctioned two high-ranking members of the Cartel del Noreste in May 2025 in an effort to cut off the group’s financing. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, above, said the U.S. would continue to destroy the cartel’s power to wreak violence. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The United States imposed sanctions in May 2025 on two members of the Mexican drug trafficking organization Cartel del Noreste, the Northeast Cartel, which formerly was known as Los Zetas. The U.S. Treasury Department is targeting Miguel Angel de Anda Ledezma, who allegedly oversees the procurement of guns and ammunition for the cartel, and…
Governor General Cynthia Pratt and Capt. Floyd P. Moxey attend the change-of-command ceremony at the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Coral Harbour Base on May 8, 2025. LITISHA HENDERSON/BAHAMAS INFORMATION SERVICES THE WATCH STAFF The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) welcomed a new leader on May 8. After 38 years of RBDF service and five years as commander, Commodore Raymond King passed the mantle to Capt. Floyd P. Moxey in a change-of-command ceremony at Coral Harbour Base. Moxey is the ninth Defence Force commander. Governor General Cynthia Pratt, Prime Minister Philip Davis, Minister of National Security Wayne Munroe and other senior…