Twelve F-16s and 300 airmen from Duluth ANGB, Minn., arrived at Osan AB, South Korea, on April 20. The Fighting Falcons and airmen from the 148th Fighter Wing deployed as part of a Pacific theater security package to increase security and show commitment to the stability of the Korean Peninsula. US Pacific Command and Pacific Air Forces have routinely used TSPs in the region since 2004, according to a press release. In January, a B-52 Stratofortress from Andersen AFB, Guam, flew over South Korea as a show of force, and F-22s flew over the country in February as another North Korean deterrence measure. (See also: Pacific Partnerships)
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.