Manila, March 28 -- The US military is "posturing forward" in the Indo-Pacific area, including the Philippines, to reinforce deterrence amid rising regional tensions due to Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea (SCS), stated the Pentagon chief on Wednesday, as reported by Inquirer.net.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth made a stop in Hawaii to converse with officials from the Indo-Pacific Command before heading to the Philippines and Japan later this week, according to Inquirer.Net.

Hegseth described his trip to Asia as "a reflection of America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific and the Trump administration's emphasis on ensuring we are doing all we can to deter conflict with the communist Chinese."

"We do not seek conflict a...