US Defence secretary to visit Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley walk to greet US Army General Austin Scott Miller, the former top US commander in Afghanistan, upon his return, at Andrews Air Force Base, US July 14, 2021. - Reuters

WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters): US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit South-East Asia later this month, the Pentagon said, a trip that will include stops in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, according to the US embassy in Hanoi.

"Secretary Austin's visit will demonstrate the importance the Biden-Harris Administration places on Southeast Asia and on ASEAN as an essential part of the Indo-Pacific's architecture," Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations bloc.