Since the beginning of the Trump administration in January 2017, there has been a focus on scaling back the number of U.S. troops based overseas, not just in Afghanistan, but also in Germany and South Korea.

The Trump administration is pushing to resolve the three-year old rift between Qatar and several of its Gulf neighbors before the November U.S. election.

While Southeast Asian countries support the U.S. position on the South China Sea, they fear it could be a flash point for conflict.