"We are bringing Americans’ regional force posture into the 21 century by rotating American personnel into new and more places, like northern Australia and new sites in the Philippines, and modernizing our existing footprint in Japan and the Republic of Korea," Carter stated at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
The secretary of defense noted that currently the United States has about 365,000 military personnel in the region.
Carter made the statement ahead of his visit to India and the Philippines, which is scheduled to start on Saturday. He has previously stated that Asia Pacific is a region of major importance for the United States and it is "absolutely essential" for Washington to remain committed to maintaining peace and security there.
