US military seeks to expand presence in Asia: Gates: "The US military plans to bolster its presence across Asia and is looking at an expansion of ties with Australia's armed forces, Defence Secretary Robert Gates said.
Building up defence cooperation with Australia would reinforce a broader effort to extend the US military's role across the Asia-Pacific region, Gates told reporters aboard his plane Saturday, before landing in Melbourne.
'We're looking at ways to strengthen and perhaps make more robust our presence in Asia,' Gates said, referring to a Pentagon review of how American forces are deployed around the world."
