Next week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will embark on his seventh official visit to the Indo-Pacific region. He will visit Japan, Singapore, India, and France. In Tokyo, he will meet with Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada, other senior leaders, and visit U.S. troops stationed in Japan. The visit is significant as it coincides with the United States and Japan’s efforts to modernize Alliance capabilities, optimize U.S. force posture, and build relationships with like-minded partners, following the historic U.S.-Japan “2+2” Ministerial meeting earlier this year.
Secretary Austin will be traveling to Singapore to attend the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) 20th Shangri-La Dialogue. During the event, he will give a speech and also meet with important leaders to strengthen U.S. defense partnerships in the region. These efforts are in alignment with our shared goal of promoting a free and open Indo-Pacific, with ASEAN centrality at its core.
Following his visit to Singapore, Secretary Austin will be heading to New Delhi where he will meet with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and other leaders. This visit aims to further strengthen the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership by exploring new defense innovation and industrial cooperation initiatives, while also driving ongoing efforts to expand operational cooperation between the two militaries. Secretary Austin will then travel to France to participate in events commemorating the 79th anniversary of D-Day and meet with defense leaders from France and the United Kingdom.
