Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Wednesday began a 10-day trip to Hawaii, Singapore, Vietnam, and India—his second to the Asia-Pacific region since April. While in Hawaii, Carter will attend change-of-command ceremonies for US Pacific Command and US Pacific Fleet, said Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren in a May 27 DOD release. He will then travel to Asia “where he will emphasize a regional approach to maritime security, build relationships with key partners, and seek out new areas of defense cooperation, all as part of the ‘next phase of the rebalance,’” states the report. Carter will visit “critical security areas” and partner militaries before meeting with government officials “to advance bilateral relationships,” states the report.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…