The U.S. and its partners want to ensure the Islamic State can’t fill the leadership void following President Bashar Assad’s overthrow, officials said.
The Pentagon chief also stressed trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul is crucial for regional stability even as South Korea is in political turmoil.
Key lawmakers grew frustrated with the F-35 program earlier this year, as critical upgrades stalled and jets piled up at Lockheed Martin's Texas factory.
In a first from Guam, the Missile Defense Agency intercepted a medium-range ballistic missile target off the coast using a Standard Missile-3 Block IIA.
Adopting Modular Open System Architecture will help the U.S. military field new technology faster and mass-produce legacy weapons, Navy officials argue.