U.S. adds extra aircraft to Marine force in Australia

By Tom Westbrook SYDNEY (Reuters) - The United States will send extra military aircraft to Australia's tropical north this year, a U.S. Marine Corps spokesman said on Wednesday, bolstering its military presence close to the disputed South China Sea. The Marines' deployment in the strategic city of Darwin, agreed in 2011, was a critical part of former U.S. President Barack Obama's "pivot" to Asia amid China's increased assertiveness in the region.