On matters of national security
Lucas believes “NATO is dying,” comparing it to a “marriage where you have one of the partners in the marriage using threats of violence and mocking the other partner for being trusting and idealistic.”
Source: Deutsche Welle (DW)
Trump has backed down from his threats of tariffs on European countries to push them to agree to a US purchase of Greenland.
While the European Union wants to continue trade ties with it’s largest trading partner, it warned the bloc will stand up for its interests.
The message for 2026 is clear: the security environment is increasingly complex and requires continuous monitoring and foresight. The public overview of military intelligence 2026 notes, among other things, the following:
- Russia continues its efforts to restore its global superpower status, and the war in Ukraine is ongoing. Russia is continuing its defence reform, but the changes have so far not significantly increased Russia’s military capacity in the vicinity of Finland. Russia’s extensive influence in Europe has increased over the past few years.
- The shift in power relations in the Middle East has become increasingly evident.
- The Baltic Sea has become a central point in international politics. Tensions have increased significantly since the beginning of 2022.
- The global security situation is characterized by a return to power politics and increasing tensions worldwide.
Continue reading “Finland’s Military Intelligence Review 2026 has been published”
Canada and the US have exchanged military personnel for decades. Beyond joint task-forces, intelligence sharing, and organizations like NATO and NORAD, Canada’s DND also regularly sends members of the CAF on exchange programs with US military units, sometimes for years.
Canadian Brigadier-General Robert McBride is the deputy commanding general of operations for the US 11th Airborne Division in Alaska. His role in a division waiting to support US ICE is a pointed example of how Canadian military personnel are caught awkwardly between Trump’s orders, Canada’s military mandate, Canadian law, and public opinion.
Continue reading “Some Canadian military personnel are subject to Trump’s orders [Updated]”
Former NATO boss and former Danish Prime Minister Anders Rasmussen said on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, that Trump’s insistence that Greenland should become part of the US represented the biggest challenge to NATO since its establishment in 1949.
“It’s really the future of NATO that is at stake,” said Rasmussen, who offers a unique perspective on the crisis as a former leader of both Denmark – from 2001 to 2009 – and NATO, where he served as secretary general from 2009 to 2014.
Chinese authorities have instructed domestic companies to stop using cybersecurity software from the United States, Israel, and France due to national security concerns.
The blacklisted cybersecurity software is reportedly from Alphabet (Mandiant and Wiz), Broadcom (VMware), Cato Networks, Check Point Software Technologies, Claroty, CrowdStrike, CyberArk, Fortinet, Imperva, McAfee, Orca Security, Palo Alto Networks, Rapid7, Recorded Future, SentinelOne, and VMware.
Sources:
Reuters: Beijing tells Chinese firms to stop using US and Israeli cybersecurity software, sources say https://www.reuters.com/world/china/beijing-tells-chinese-firms-stop-using-us-israeli-cybersecurity-software-sources-2026-01-14/
Rithula Nisha Ebrahim, Cyber Magazine: Why has China Banned a Host of Major Cybersecurity Firms? https://cybermagazine.com/news/inside-chinas-ban-of-major-us-and-israeli-cyber-firms
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney urged middle powers to unite against coercion from aggressive superpowers, warning “compliance will not buy safety” in a world where the rules-based international order has collapsed.
According to a survey by public opinion pollster Research Co., released Monday January 19, 2026, few Americans share Trump’s expansionist aspirations.
Two thirds of Americans (66%) want Canada to remain an independent nation, while 10% would “prefer” Canada become a US territory and 7% would declare it the 51st State.
The results are similar when Americans ponder Mexico, with just over two thirds (67%) maintaining the status quo of Mexico as an independent nation and fewer opting for the country to become a US territory (10%) or an American state (5%).
Trump posted a doctored image on social media early Tuesday morning showing the president surrounded by European leaders in the Oval Office with a map displaying Canada, Greenland and Venezuela covered in the US flag. The photo was one in a string of posts from the president overnight.
Source:
Mark Colley, Toronto Star: Trump posts doctored image of U.S. flag over Canada, Greenland https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/trump-posts-doctored-image-of-u-s-flag-over-canada-greenland/article_61baa2ca-210a-4526-941c-fa2f54026a10.html
The European Commission on Monday, January 19, 2026, proposed a new cybersecurity package to strengthen the European Union’s cybersecurity resilience and capabilities in the face of these growing number of attacks.
A proposal for a revised Cybersecurity Act enhances the security of the EU’s Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) supply chains. It ensures that products reaching EU citizens are cyber-secure by design through a simpler certification process. It also facilitates compliance with existing EU cybersecurity rules and reinforces the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) in supporting Member States and the EU in managing cybersecurity threats.
Source:
European Commission strengthens EU cybersecurity resilience and capabilities: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_26_105