The US military seeks to expand its presence in the Asia-Pacific region through more arrangements of rotational deployment, US media reported Monday, citing the top US Pacific command officer as saying.

About 2,500 US Marines will be arriving in Australia for rotational deployment over the next several years, which provide an increase in the US military's "ability to be forward" and also the ability to work with its partners in the region, Navy Admiral Samuel Locklear told American Forces Press service.

He said that this model fit in the new defense strategic guidance that emphasizes the importance of the Asia-Pacific region without the need for new infrastructure or permanent US bases.

Additional rotational forces provided "an up-tick in presence" that complements what has been provided by the 330,000 service members permanently based within the US Pacific Command area of responsibility, he said, and created regional footholds that could pay off "if the United States had to flow more forces to protect US or allies interests there."

About 200 US Marines arrived in Darwin, Australia in April for the first six-month rotations serving alongside the Australian Defense Force. USS Freedom, the Navy's new littoral combat ship, is also scheduled for its first 10-month rotational deployment to Singapore beginning next spring.

If Singapore agrees, Locklear said, he "ultimately" would like to expand the arrangement to include additional littoral ships.

While anticipating no major change in the number of permanently assigned US troops in the region, Locklear said he expected to see a "reshaped military" that is able to deploy more throughout the region.

The United States and Japan agreed in April on a plan to relocate about 9,000 US Marines from Okinawa, with about 5,000 moving to Guam and the rest to elsewhere in the region.

US President Barack Obama vowed in January to strengthen US military presence in the Asia-Pacific region despite fiscal constraints, as he unveiled a revised national defense strategy designed for a new era of austerity.