Dzirhan Mahadzir

The United States, Iceland and NATO began the U.S-led biennial exercise Northern Viking 2026 (NV26) on Tuesday, which runs in Iceland and surrounding waters until Sept. 3. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Bilateral Defense Agreement between Iceland and the United States. A U.S 6th Fleet release stated that the exercise is designed to strengthen interoperability and force readiness between the United States, Iceland, and other allied nations. It strengthens multi-domain command and control of joint and coalition forces to defend Iceland and safeguard the sea lines between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom, known as the

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory recently accepted the first of two Ancillary Surface Craft prototypes, according to a news release published last week. Ancillary Surface Craft are designed to provide transportation of personnel and supplies to shallow-gradient, unimproved and unsurveyed shorelines. The craft are meant to be able to conduct oceanic transits on its own in contrast to existing platforms like the Landing Craft Air Cushion, which has to be embarked on an amphibious ship. The ASC, once in service, will enable the Marine Corps to move small units armed with anti-ship missiles around the islands of the Pacific as

U.S., Norwegian and U.K. forces deployed Wednesday to Jan Mayen, a strategic island in the Norwegian Sea for a NATO Arctic Sentry enhanced Vigilance Activity. The trilateral operation is meant to strengthen NATO’s ability to operate jointly in challenging Arctic conditions and will integrate multinational sensors, command-and-control nodes and precision fires into a joint kill web in support of NATO and U.S. Homeland defense, according to a U.S. Marine Corps release. “By operating alongside our allies, we demonstrate that we have both the capability and the will to defend Norwegian territory,” Norwegian Vice Adm. Rune Andersen, Commander of the Norwegian

Japanese destroyer JS Chokai (DDG-176) returned on Sunday to its homeport of Sasebo, Japan, after one year in the U.S. being outfitted to be Tomahawk cruise missile capable. Chokai departed Sept. 25, 2025, from Yokosuka Naval Base for San Diego following pre-deployment training and preparation. Crew training and modification work on the destroyer for Tomahawk operations began in October with the modification work completed in late March, USNI News reported. Chokai conducted a live firing of a Tomahawk missile on July 29, validating the crew and ship’s ability to operate the missile. In a press conference on Aug. 25, chief

Japan’s Ministry of Defense has requested a record 8.9 trillion yen – or $55.6 billion – for its Fiscal Year 2027 Defense Budget to prioritize artificial intelligence, unmanned capabilities and long-range strike capabilities, according to budgetary documents released Monday. The Ministry of Defense is seeking to transform Japan’s military capabilities to adapt to what it calls “new ways of warfare” as the archipelago country “faces the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” reads the documents. In line with this, Japan is requesting the record high amount to expand maritime surveillance capabilities and its

The U.S. military and U.K’s Royal Navy have conducted separate virtual exercises throughout the summer, simulating large scale operations with partner nations across the globe. Valiant Shield 2026 saw live U.S. pilots, high-fidelity virtual simulators and constructive computer-generated forces operate together in realistic scenarios across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains, according to a news release last week from Andersen Air Base in Guam. The virtual exercise linked key command and control and operational nodes across the Pacific and beyond with the high-end integration enabled by the U.S. Pacific Command J7 Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability. U.S. Air

The U.S. Navy trialled a robotic towed connector to repeatedly capture, refuel and release an unmanned surface vessel (USV) last month as the sea service seeks to enable persistent unmanned operations at sea, according to a Tuesday news release. The trial, which occurred Aug. 11, involved an underway refueling demonstration designed for USVs carried out by Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCD) Blue Water Instrumentation (BWI) and BWI’s Future Capabilities Office fleet management team and industry partners Maritime Tactical Systems Inc (MARTAC) and Sealartec. The trial took place in the waters off Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, Va.,

North Korea commissioned the second Choe Hyon-class destroyer, Kang Kon (52), on Sunday at Wonsan Port, state media Korean Central News Agency reported. Kang Kon was commissioned in a ceremony overseen by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. During the speech, Kim addressed the commanding officer and crew of Kang Kon, telling them that they will soon be assigned with a strategic mission. The 5,000-ton destroyer is included in North Korea’s nuclear counteraction system. Kang Kon is assigned to North Korea’s East Sea Fleet, which is responsible for operations in the Sea of Japan. “If our enemies dare to have

The Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08) departed Saturday from Portsmouth, England, for a three-month deployment as the aircraft carrier prepares to return as the U.K. carrier strike group’s flagship. Queen Elizabeth will combine training and operations around the U.K. and Northern Europe. The three-month deployment marks the carrier’s return to service since it began a multi-phased maintenance and overhaul period in late 2024. Queen Elizabeth is expected in late 2027 to take the helm from sister ship HMS Prince of Wales (R09) as the U.K.’s flagship. According to a Royal Navy news release, Queen Elizabeth will conduct an intensive

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recently deployed the sea service’s long-range Containerized Launching System and Strike Master Coastal Defense System to Norway as part of Operation Atlantic City 26 and NATO’s Arctic Sentry enhanced Vigilance Activity. The expeditionary long-range fire systems were deployed to Norwegian city Trondheim and remote island Jan Mayen in the High North, for drills that ran from Aug. 26-Sept. 4. Imagery released by the Pentagon shows a Containerized Launching System being loaded onto a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft on Aug. 25 and offloaded Aug. 27 at Trondheim, Norway, to participate in