This was announced by Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder.
"Minister Austin will leave on a planned multi-day visit to the area of responsibility of the US Central Command," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.
He added that during the trip, the head of the Pentagon intends to reaffirm Washington's commitment to its obligations to the countries of the Middle East region.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that the United States, together with the European Union, are seeking to divert the attention of the international community from the crises taking place in the Middle East.