THE HON. JOEL FITZGIBBON MP
Minister for Defence
Sunday, 6 July 2008
077/2008
MINISTER FOR DEFENCE VISIT TO THE US
The Minister for Defence, the Hon. Joel Fitzgibbon MP, will visit the US from
6 to 16 July 2008, taking in Hawaii, Texas, New York and Washington.
The purpose of the Minister’s visit is to reaffirm the strength of Australia’s
bilateral relationship with the US and to advance Australia’s security,
defence and foreign policy interests in the Asia-Pacific region.
In Hawaii, the Minister will attend roundtable discussions and meet with
the Commander of the US Pacific Command, whom he met with during the
Australia-US Ministerial Consultations in Canberra earlier this year. The
Minister will also visit HMAS Waller, a Royal Australian Navy Collins Class
submarine and the ANZAC class frigate, HMAS ANZAC, which are part of
Australia’s fleet participating in Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), a
combined and joint exercise of 10 nations in the Pacific region.
In Texas, the Minister will visit Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the
Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
In New York, the Minister will meet with United Nations officials to discuss
Australia’s relationship and roles in the global arena. The Minister will also
attend roundtable talks with a number of prominent think tanks and
academics.
In Washington, the Minister will be making a number of calls on senior
members of the US Administration, including the US Vice President, Dick
Cheney; the US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates; and a number of US
Congressmen. Discussions will be centered around the Australia-US alliance,
defence and strategic matters, and cooperation in promoting peace, security
and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Minister will also be giving an address at the Brookings Institution, a
private non-profit organisation devoted to independent research and
innovative policy on global emerging issues.
Media contacts:
Christian Taubenschlag (Joel Fitzgibbon):
02 6277 7800 or 0438 595 567
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6265 3343 or 0408 498 664
NEWS 
