Pentagon invests in Asian partners as China flexes with Russia

Tokyo - The Pentagon is expected to announce investments in Asia this week that play into the long-game positioning to deter China, just days after Chinese bombers for the first time ever encroached in the international airspace off Alaska. 

Despite ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza that still threaten to expand, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is making his 11th trip to the Indo-Pacific as secretary, as part of the Pentagon's focus on China as what it calls "the pacing challenge." 

Austin is visiting Japan and the Philippines on this trip. In Japan, Austin is expected to preview a major upgrade of command and control between the two countries. In the Philippines, he is expected to announce $500 million in foreign military financing that, according to a defense official, will go in part towards cybersecurity and maritime self-defense that could help defend against an aggressive China.