SENATOR JOHN FAULKNER
Minister for Defence
Monday, 2 November 2009
043/2009
VISIT TO THE USA
The Minister for Defence, Senator John Faulkner, will visit Washington DC,
United States of America, this week, to take part in talks with senior US
Government representatives and Defense officials. He will be accompanied
by the Secretary of Defence, Dr Ian Watt, and the Chief of the Defence Force,
Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston.
Senator Faulkner will meet with the Secretary of Defense, Dr Robert Gates;
the National Security Adviser, General (Ret’d) Jim Jones; Director of National
Intelligence, Admiral (Ret’d) Dennis Blair; and the Commander of CENTCOM,
General David Petraeus.
Discussions will focus on operations in Afghanistan, following Senator
Faulkner’s attendance at the recent NATO-ISAF meeting in Bratislava.
“General Stanley McChrystal’s assessment of the Afghanistan campaign, the
need to support the ongoing growth and development of the Afghan National
Security Forces and the importance of complementing our military efforts with
governance improvements will be important elements of our discussions,”
Senator Faulkner said.
“My visit will also be a valuable opportunity to emphasise the value of the
alliance to Australia and the United States.”
“The relationship has served both countries well for more than 50 years.”
“The alliance is fundamental to the security of both countries in critical areas
such as intelligence sharing, and security and stability in the Asia-Pacific.”
Senator Faulkner will also meet with leading strategic commentators in
Washington to discuss broader approaches to ensuring the security and
stability of Afghanistan and its people.
“I will also use this opportunity to discuss other issues, including our
collaboration on capability development and acquisition, and ratification of the
Defence Trade Cooperation Treaty,” Senator Faulkner said.
Media contacts:
Colin Campbell (John Faulkner):
02 6277 7800 or 0407 787 181
Michael Nguyen (John Faulkner):
02 6277 7800 or 0429 571 843
Defence Media Liaison:
02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664
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