(30 Sep 2016) U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is in Hawaii meeting with his counterparts from the 10 member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean. The association focuses mainly on trade issues, but in recent years, with US encouragement, has sought to engage in a range of defense and military issues. The US is not a member of the organisation but has sought to use it as a forum for further developing security partnerships amid regional concern about China's military buildup. On Carter's flight from San Diego to Hawaii later on Thursday, a senior defense official aboard the plane told reporters that Carter expects to hear concerns from some south-east Asian ministers, including those from Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines, about the threat they perceive from an expected return of extremists who have been fighting for the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Among the Asia problems that have arisen for the Pentagon since Carter last met with the region's defense ministers is a sudden and steep deterioration in relations with the Philippines. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/3c413735d03c4b05378bc2ec1afc256d