The Watch

THE WATCH STAFF The U.S Air Force recently ended its second-busiest season in nearly 50 years of battling wildfires. Air crews flying C-130 transport aircraft carried out 945 sorties in California, dropping 2,583,204 gallons of fire retardant in 2021, according to U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM). That total is the second highest since the military program using the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) was established in the 1970s, and it was surpassed only by the 1994 fire season, according to USNORTHCOM. MAFFS units are requested through the USNORTHCOM commander to provide support to the National Interagency Fire Center in conducting…

THE WATCH STAFF Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) has called it mission accomplished in the campaign to vaccinate nearly 50,000 Afghan evacuees temporarily housed at eight military installations in the United States. The evacuees were vaccinated for measles, mumps, rubella and chickenpox in a nationwide effort called “historic” by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an October 4, 2021, announcement. Eligible Afghans also received shots for polio, COVID-19 and other diseases, as well as medical exams and health screenings, as a condition of their humanitarian resettlement, according to DHS. (Pictured: Army Spc. Isaiah Whiteside prepares a vaccine to be administered…

THE WATCH STAFF The U.S. Army is closer to fielding its Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW) after Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state received the final shipment of the system’s prototype ground equipment. The Army celebrated completion of the hardware’s delivery with a base ceremony on October 7, 2021. The LRHW, called “Dark Eagle,” is a ground-launched missile that will equip the I Corps’ 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Field Artillery Brigade. The deliveries, which did not include missiles, were completed at the end of September. They include a battery operations center, four transporter/erector launchers, and trucks and…

INDO-PACIFIC DEFENSE FORUM The People’s Republic of China (PRC) increasingly relies on coercive economic tactics to advance its political agenda — whether to bully democracies such as Taiwan or to extract natural resources from cash-strapped debtor nations. Despite the PRC’s repeated use of sanctions and other economic levers, a growing body of evidence suggests these tactics are becoming less effective as nations defend their independence. A September 2020 study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the PRC used “coercive diplomacy” 152 times against foreign governments and companies since 2010. Its tactics included trade sanctions, investment restrictions, tourism bans and…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NATO expelled eight members of Russia’s mission to the military alliance on October 6, 2021, saying that they were secretly working as intelligence officers. The move halved the size of Moscow’s team at NATO headquarters in Brussels. “We can confirm that we have withdrawn the accreditation of eight members of the Russian Mission to NATO, who were undeclared Russian intelligence officers,” a NATO official said. The official was speaking under the customary condition of anonymity. NATO also reduced the number of positions that Russia can accredit people for at the Belgium-based organization from 20 down to 10,…

THE WATCH STAFF Military thinkers say the United States must achieve “decision superiority” to meet the evolving threats to the homeland. U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) have made it a strategic priority. Gen. Glen D. VanHerck, commander of USNORTHCOM and NORAD, defines the principle simply: “At its heart, decision superiority is about giving senior leaders options,” he wrote in the journal Joint Force Quarterly in April 2021. “Decision superiority,” he said, “expands the aperture beyond kinetic kill into nonkinetic solutions.” Expanding that aperture is known as “deterrence by denial.” “That’s where I’m focused,”…

THE WATCH STAFF In a test that has far-reaching implications for U.S. cruise-missile technology, the Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) recently made a successful free flight, according to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The HAWC vehicle, developed in a partnership between the U.S. Air Force and DARPA, made the flight during the week of September 20, 2021, according to a September 27 DARPA news release. (Pictured: An artist’s rendering of the HAWC.) This “was a successful demonstration of the capabilities that will make hypersonic cruise missiles a highly effective tool for our warfighters,” Andrew Knoedler, HAWC program manager…

THE WATCH STAFF The United States recently announced U.S. $10 million in economic aid for Greenland — the latest sign that the world’s biggest island plays an increasingly crucial role in Arctic affairs. The aid package agreed to September 15, 2021, is primarily aimed at developing mining, tourism and education, Reuters reported. The U.S. is seeking to forge closer ties with Greenland to counter the commercial and military buildup in the region by Russia and China, Reuters said. The island, which has a population of 57,000, is an autonomous Danish territory. It has long been home to Thule Air Base,…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, pictured, held his first talks as Japan’s new leader with U.S. President Joe Biden and confirmed they will work to strengthen their alliance and cooperate in regional security in the face of growing challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and North Korea. Kishida, who was elected by Japan’s parliament and sworn in October 4, 2021, told reporters that President Biden reassured him of the United States’ commitment to defend the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The PRC also claims the islands and has escalated coast guard activity…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is taking input on its plan to build an advanced mobile nuclear microreactor prototype at the Idaho National Laboratory in eastern Idaho. The department began a 45-day comment period September 24, 2021, with the release of a draft environmental-impact study evaluating alternatives for building and operating the microreactor that could produce 1 to 5 megawatts of power. The mobile reactors can be used to power remote operating bases and could reduce the need for investment in costly power infrastructure as the department’s energy needs increase, according to DOD documents. “A safe,…