AUSTIN HEADED TO ISRAEL, EUROPE
April 09, 2021 (The HILL)
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's second trip overseas since
he started in his current position will take him to Israel, Germany,
NATO headquarters in Belgium and the United Kingdom, the Pentagon announced Thursday.
Austin will leave for the trip Saturday, according to a news
release.
The itinerary: In Israel, Austin
will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benjamin
Gantz "to continue close consultations on shared priorities and reaffirm
the enduring U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Israel strategic partnership and Israel’s
Qualitative Military Edge," the Pentagon said.
In Germany, Austin will meet with Defense Minister Annegret
Kramp-Karrenbauer and Chancellery Foreign and Security Policy Adviser Jan
Hecker. Among other topics, the officials will discuss "continued dialogue
on U.S. force posture in Germany and elsewhere," according to the
statement.
In Belgium, Austin will meet with NATO Secretary-General Jens
Stoltenberg and in the U.K., he'll meet with Secretary of State for
Defense Ben Wallace.
Timing: The trip to Israel
comes as the Biden administration in engaged in indirect talks with Iran for
the countries to both return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal,
which Israel opposes.
Meanwhile, the stops at European allies come as the Biden
administration continues a global posture review that could include reversing
the Trump administration's plan to slash the number of U.S. troops in Germany.
NATO allies are also clamoring for President Biden's decision on
whether he will withdraw from Afghanistan by May 1.
And, as mentioned at the beginning of this newsletter, Russia
has been amassing troops and equipment on the border with Ukraine, which is
sure to be a topic of conversation with European allies.
No comments:
Post a Comment