By Matthew Olay, DOD News

During a Senate Armed Services Committee posture hearing today in Washington, U.S. Forces Korea's commander testified that North Korea is continuing to develop its weapons program while growing more isolated.

Army Gen. Xavier T. Brunson told the committee that, in 2024, North Korea launched 47 ballistic missiles while focusing on advancing its cruise missile and hypersonic glide vehicle research and development programs.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an expanded partnership between the U.S. and Panama to secure the Panama Canal in order to counter "China's maligned influence" in the region.

"The era of capitulating to coercion by the communist Chinese is over," Hegseth said while delivering prepared remarks earlier in the day.

"[China's] growing and adversarial control of strategic land and critical infrastructure in this hemisphere cannot and will not stand," he added.

Hegseth, who has been in Panama City for a three-day security conference with the host nation, later made the expanded partnership announcement during a joint press conference with Panamanian Public Security Minister Frank Abrego.

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By Senior Airman Jasmyne Bridgers-Matos, 355th Wing Public Affairs

SUWON AIR BASE, South Korea (AFNS) -- For the first time, the 11th Air Task Force deployed to provide command and control and agile mission-generation capabilities during exercise Freedom Shield, March 10-14. Their participation tested the unit’s ability to support real-world airpower operations in a dynamic environment.

As part of the exercise, the 11th ATF alongside the 11th Combat Air Base Squadron supported the 51st Fighter Wing and the 36th Fighter Squadron’s F-16 Fighting Falcon. Their mission was twofold: to provide C2 and base operating support-integration.

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Washington, D.C. — The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) added 80 entities to the Entity List from China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), South Africa, Iran, Taiwan, and others for activities contrary to U.S. national security and foreign policy. As part of these measures, BIS is working toward the following objectives:

• Restrict the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ability to acquire and develop high-performance and exascale computing capabilities, as well as quantum technologies, for military applications;
• Impede China’s development of its hypersonic weapons program;
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Defendants Also Allegedly Conspired to Send Four Metric Tons of a Precursor Chemical to the United States and Mexico for the Manufacture of Fentanyl

An India-based chemical manufacturing company and three high-level employees were charged in federal court in Washington, D.C., today related to illegally importing precursor chemicals used to make illicit fentanyl.

According to the indictment, Vasudha Pharma Chem Limited (VPC), VPC Chief Global Business Officer Tanweer Ahmed Mohamed Hussain Parkar, 63, of India and the United Kingdom; VPC Marketing Director Venkata Naga Madhusudhan Raju Manthena, 48, of India; and VPC Marketing Representative Krishna Vericharla, 40, of India, were charged with multiple counts of manufacturing and distributing a List I fentanyl precursor chemical for unlawful importation into the United States, and attempting and conspiring to do the same.

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The United States filed a civil forfeiture complaint in the Southern District of Florida against a Dassault Falcon 900 EX aircraft, bearing tail number T7-ESPRT, which was smuggled from the United States under false pretenses and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros (Maduro) and his representatives in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (the Maduro Regime) in violation of U.S. sanctions and export control laws. The aircraft was seized last year in the Dominican Republic at the request of the United States.

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