Amalgam Dart 21-2

U.S. Air Force F-16s, Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18, and U.S. Air Force F-22 join up with a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress in the vicinity of the Beaufort Sea during North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Arctic air defense exercise, Amalgam Dart 21-2, March 24, 2021. The exercise will run from March 20-26 and range from the Beaufort Sea to Thule, Greenland and extend south down the Eastern Atlantic to the U.S. coast of Maine. Amalgam Dart 21-2 provides NORAD the opportunity to hone homeland defense skills as Canadian, U.S., and NATO forces operated together in the Arctic. A bi-national Canadian and American command, NORAD employs a network of space-based, aerial and ground-based sensors, air-to-air refueling tankers, and fighter aircraft, controlled by a sophisticated command and control network to deter, detect and defend against aerial threats that originate outside or within North American airspace. NATO E-3 Early Warning Aircraft, Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 fighter aircraft, CP-140 long-range patrol aircraft, CC-130 Search and Rescue and tactical airlift aircraft, CC-150T air refueler, and CH-149 Cormorant Search and Rescue helicopters; as well as U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft, KC-10 Extender refueler, KC-46 Pegasus, KC-135 Stratotanker, as well as C-130 and C-17 transport aircraft will participated in the exercise. (Photo credit: RCAF)

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SOF's Role in Protecting the Homeland and Countering Designated Other Terrorist Organizations--International Cartels

Published April 13, 2026
By JSOU/JTF-SREC

On 20 February 2025, the U.S. Department of State designated eight foreign terrorist organizations and specially designated global terrorists. As President Donald Trump said in Executive Order 14157, cartels and other transnational organizations “threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." SOF play a critical role in counterterrorism and homeland defense. How can SOF use its exceptional capabilities most effectively to degrade and defeat these groups? How can SOF work better with partners and allies to counter this threat? How can SOF maintain the element of surprise while conducting this mission in a partnering environment?

Amalgam Dart 21-2