The commander's comments come amid concerns from Congress that the Pentagon is considering reducing the number of U.S. troops on the continent.
Staff Sgt. Gordon Black flew to Russia to see his girlfriend and was arrested in May 2024 after she accused him of stealing from her.
A Chinese military ship monitored the maneuvers off the Scarborough Shoal from a distance.
For some U.S. allies, the leaked group chat about a planned Yemen attack casts doubt on intelligence-sharing with Washington.
