On January 29, Austin headed to South Korea and the Philippines to meet with senior officials for talks on Indo-Pacific security.
Washington is looking to expand its access to the country's bases in the Philippines with a focus on China due to the changing balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the media.
In January, media reported that more than 16,000 Philippine and US troops would participate in the annual Balikatan joint military exercises scheduled to take place from April 24-27 in the Philippine city of Laoag.