“What’s next and how far are they willing to go in that area?” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command boss Adm. John Aquilino asked. Capt. Abigail Y. Marter took command of the Peru-based command less than a year before her firing Friday. The issue involves automatic deductions from troops' Basic Allowance for Subsistence payments when they are stationed overseas. The warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday. The United States, South Korea and Japan conducted combined naval exercises in a show of strength against North Korea. The launch was the North's first this year. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he would boost national defenses to cope with what he called an unprecedented U.S.-led confrontation. A deal inked between the two nations in 2023 opens up multiple bases for American use. The U.S. Navy said the ship “was conducting routine operations in international waters ... consistent with international law.” The patrols come days after Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called the situation in the South China Sea increasingly “dire.” Load More