The new rules will make it easier for the U.S., U.K. and Australia to share vast amounts of defense equipment. Officials announced several initiatives Tuesday that seek to solidify defense cooperation between the two nations. A restructuring of U.S Forces Japan will place a three-star flag officer in charge of American forces there. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made the second-most trips to the Indo-Pacific region of any secretary this century. Two decommissioned U.S. Navy vessels were sent to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in live-fire sinking drills. The Pentagon has signed off on a regional sustainment framework to maintain equipment forward in theaters around the world, starting with the Indo-Pacific. Ambassador Rahm Emanuel says it is clear that the U.S. military industrial base cannot meet all its strategic challenges. The U.S. flew a B-1B bomber over the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday for its first precision-guided bombing drill with South Korea in seven years. Some of the newest Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement sites got a workout in the Philippines during the bilateral Balikatan exercise this month. The combatant command oversees more than 380,000 U.S troops and civilians and is at the center of American efforts to counter China's military ascent. Load More