Lloyd J. Austin III Secretary of Defence | Official website
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will embark on his tenth trip to the Indo-Pacific region starting May 29, 2024. This visit aims to bolster U.S. relationships with allies and partners in the region, focusing on advancing peace, stability, and deterrence.
During his trip, Secretary Austin will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he is scheduled to meet with regional counterparts and deliver plenary remarks. His speech will emphasize a new alignment among Indo-Pacific partners who share a vision for a free and open region. Additionally, he will visit Cambodia for meetings with senior officials, marking his second trip to the country since November 2022.
Under the Biden-Harris Administration, the United States has made significant strides in the Indo-Pacific by investing in regional capabilities, transforming its force posture, and enhancing connections with allies and partners.
The United States has been working closely with various countries through bilateral, trilateral, and multilateral efforts to strengthen regional peace and security. These efforts include:
- Collaboration with ASEAN through initiatives like the Emerging Leaders' Defense Fellowship Program.
- Joint exercises with Japan and South Korea (ROK), such as completing a multi-year trilateral exercise plan and activating a real-time DPRK missile warning data-sharing mechanism.
- Multilateral cooperation between Australia, Japan, and the Philippines to support regional stability.
- Progress with AUKUS partners (Australia and the United Kingdom) on advanced capabilities cooperation.
- Strengthening ties with Freely Associated States through economic assistance programs funded by Congress.
Combined military operations have also been pivotal in enhancing interoperability and deterrence across the region. Notable exercises include BALIKATAN with the Philippines; SUPER GARUDA SHIELD involving Indonesia and other nations; COBRA GOLD in Thailand; and FREEDOM SHIELD with South Korea.
In terms of U.S. force posture transformation under President Biden's leadership:
- The Marine Corps' most advanced formation is set to be forward-deployed to Japan by 2025.
- Strategic asset rotations are being increased on the Korean Peninsula.
- Significant funding requests for infrastructure improvements at Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites in the Philippines have been made.
- Various force posture initiatives are underway with Australia.
- A Defense Cooperation Agreement has been concluded with Papua New Guinea.
Investments in regional capability include major proposals for U.S. military capabilities through fiscal year budget requests aimed at air power, sea power, space capabilities, cyberspace activities, submarine production rates, and ballistic missile defense activities under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
Other notable efforts involve working closely with the Philippines on defense modernization investments; supporting Japan's defense budget increase; modernizing alliances with South Korea; collaborating on defense industry innovation projects with India; and improving maritime transparency through initiatives like IPMDA.
