"We're on the cusp of delivering prototypes for high-energy lasers that can counter missiles," Austin said on Friday.
He added that North Korea's recent intercontinental ballistic missile tests underscore the need to strengthen US ties with Japan and South Korea and to beef up the overall security.
"Both Korea's habitual provocations and missile tests only underscore the urgency of our task, and so we're deepening the security cooperation among the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea," Austin stated.
Still, the chief of the Pentagon went on to say that the United States does not seek a new Cold War, an Asian NATO, or a region split into hostile blocs in the Indo-Pacific region.
"Let me be clear, we do not seek confrontation or conflict, we do not seek a new Cold War and Asian NATO or a region split into hostile blocs," he said.
And with that goal in mind, the US is working closely with China's military leaders to fully open lines of communications to avoid miscalculations between the two countries.
"So we’re working closely with both our competitors and our friends to strengthen the guardrails against conflict," Austin explained. "That includes fully open lines of communication with China’s defense leaders to ensure that we can avoid any miscalculations."
The sentiment about not wanting to get into a confrontation with China mirrors an earlier statement made by the Pentagon chief in December last year almost word for word.
However, US President Joe Biden said last month that Washington would be prepared to intervene militarily to "defend" Taiwan if necessary. The statement caused indignation in Beijing and another round of tension in the region.