US to deploy newest weapons to Asia-Pacific

The United States plans to deploy some of its newest warships and other high-tech weapons to the Asia-Pacific as part of a strategic shift to the region, a US defense official said Wednesday.
The Pentagon will send P-8 submarine-hunting aircraft, cruise missiles, Virginia-class submarines, coastal combat ships and F-35 fighter jets to Asian ports and bases in coming years, the senior official told reporters
The Pentagon has promoted a tilt to Asia after a decade of ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reflecting concern over China's growing military power and its assertive stance in territorial disputes with its neighbors.
The United States already plans to deploy more than half of its fleet to the Asia-Pacific and to station four littoral combat ships -- speedy new vessels designed to operate near coastlines -- for rotational deployments in Singapore.