US Arctic war machine is tested with HIMARS and F-35s as commander warns of 'chilling new reality' on Russia's doorstep

From the Newshound archive · first published 4 October 2026.

American and Canadian forces have deployed HIMARS missile systems, F-35s and F-16s across western Alaska in a major exercise called Tundra Merlin, designed to test rapid Arctic combat readiness. The drill comes as a US commander warns of a stark new threat environment on Russia's doorstep.

Britain is also preparing its largest home-defence exercise in decades, planned for 2027, as Royal Marines return to the Faroe Islands for the first time since the Second World War.

A defence analyst warns that hybrid attacks — cyber strikes, sabotage, infrastructure disruption — could bring daily life to a standstill without a weapon being discharged.

Britain reportedly distributed over 1,000 hijabs to illegal migrants, a detail that has drawn fresh scrutiny amid the broader national-security debate.