WHITE HOUSE FACT SHEET: U.S.-AUSTRALIA ALLIANCE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE KOREA 

November 10, 2014

FACT SHEET: The U.S.-Australia Alliance

Reinforcing our long history of close cooperation and partnership, President Obama and Prime Minister Abbott today reviewed a series of initiatives to expand and deepen collaboration between the United States and Australia.

Security and Defense Cooperation

The U.S.-Australia alliance is an anchor of peace and stability not only in the Asia-Pacific region but around the world.  The United States and Australia will work together – bilaterally, in regional bodies, and through the UN – to advance peace and security from the coast of Somalia to Afghanistan and to confront international challenges, such as Syria; Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine; and North Korea.

In responding to the threat posed by ISIL and foreign terrorist fighters, the United States and Australia are working together with an international coalition to degrade and defeat ISIL by providing military support to Iraq, cutting off ISIL’s funding, countering its warped ideology, and stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into its ranks.  The United States and Australia are coordinating closely through the Global Counterterrorism Forum.  Australia supported U.S.-drafted United Nations Security Council Resolution 2178, which condemns violent extremism and underscores the need to stem support for foreign terrorist fighters, and the two countries will work together toward its implementation.  Additionally, together, we continue to provide critical humanitarian support to the victims of conflict in Syria and Iraq.

In Afghanistan, the United States and Australia have worked to together to enable the Afghan government to provide effective security across the country and develop the new Afghan security forces to ensure Afghanistan can never again become a safe haven for terrorists.  The United States and Afghanistan will continue this close partnership, focused on the development and sustainment of Afghan security forces and institutions, after the combat mission ends in Afghanistan this year and the Resolute Support Mission begins.

The U.S.-Australian Force Posture Agreement, announced by the President and Prime Minister in June and signed in August, deepens our long-standing defense cooperation and the advancement of a peaceful, secure, and prosperous Asia-Pacific region.  While implementing the force posture initiatives jointly announced in 2011, the United States and Australia continuously seek opportunities to strengthen our interoperability, coordination, and cooperation.

As Pacific nations,  the United States and Australia share an abiding interest in peaceful resolution of disputes in the maritime domain; respect for international law and unimpeded lawful commerce; and preserving freedom of navigation and overflight.  Both countries oppose the use of intimidation, coercion, or force to advance territorial or maritime claims in the East and South China Seas.  In their June 2014 joint op-ed, the two leaders called on claimants to clarify and pursue claims in accordance with international law, including the Law of the Sea Convention, and expressed support for the rights of claimants to seek peaceful resolution of disputes through legal mechanisms, including arbitration, under the Convention.  Both countries continue to call for ASEAN and China to reach early agreement on a meaningful Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

The United States and Australia are responding to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and supporting the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) to accelerate measureable progress toward a world safe and secure from infectious disease threats.

The United States congratulates Australia as it nears the end of its two years on the United Nations Security Council, during which time Australia has been a powerful and important voice on a range of issues relating to international peace and security, especially the ongoing conflict in Syria and the global threat posed by terrorism.

Cooperation for Economic Growth and Prosperity

The United States and Australia share a commitment to deepening further economic ties, including by concluding the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a high-standard, 21st century agreement that will promote economic growth and job creation in both countries and around the region.  In January 2015, the Australia-U.S. Free Trade Agreement will celebrate ten years of facilitating trade and investment between our two countries, having nearly doubled our goods trade and increased our services trade by more than 122 percent.

The United States remains the largest foreign investor in Australia, accounting for over a quarter of its foreign investment.  The United States and Australia also work closely in multilateral institutions such as APEC to promote sustainable growth and shared prosperity in the region.

A vital aspect of economic growth is promoting greater gender equality.  The United States and Australia are working together to enhance women’s political and economic participation.  As founding members of the Equal Futures Partnership, our two nations continue to collaborate to expand economic opportunities for women and increase women’s participation in leadership positions in politics, civic society, and economic life.

The United States and Australia recognize the threat of climate change, including in the Pacific, and the need to take bold steps to boost clean energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, and help ensure a successful and ambitious global climate change agreement in Paris next year.  The United States underscored the importance of submitting ambitious post-2020 climate commitments for the new agreement as soon as possible and preferably by the end of March 2015.   Both countries are collaborating with Pacific Island countries to promote sustainable development practices.

The President congratulated Prime Minister Abbott on the preparations for the G20 Summit, and noted he looks forward to the important and vibrant discussions ahead.

Science, Technology, and Innovation

U.S.-Australia science, technology, and innovation cooperation will strengthen our work on cutting edge issues, ranging from neuroscience to clean energy to information technology.  Under the auspices of the U.S.-Australia Science and Technology Agreement, our two countries collaborate on clean energy, marine, and health research.

Through the Ambassador of the United States’ Innovation Roundtables, the United States and Australia are creating an additional platform to leverage U.S.-Australia innovation partnerships and strengthen our interactions in innovative areas and promote a positive, future-oriented vision of our bilateral relationship.

The United States and Australia are two of the founding partners of the new $200 million Global Innovation Fund (GIF), which will invest in social innovations that aim to improve the lives of and opportunities for millions of people in the developing world.

People-to-People Ties

The U.S.-Australia Alliance is based on a long tradition of cooperation at all levels of government, business and civil society.

In partnership with the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney and the Perth USAsia Centre at the University of Western Australia, the United States established the “Alliance 21 Fellowship,” a three-year exchange of senior scholars and policy analysts that will further examine the shared interests and mutual benefits of the U.S.-Australia alliance through research and public engagement.

The United States and Australia form a partnership that is key to the future of both countries and peace and prosperity around the globe.

CHAIRMAN NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE SAYS NATO IN TRANSFORMATION

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

NATO Changes to Meet New Threats, Challenges

By Jim Garamone

DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Oct. 2, 2014 – Throughout its history, many people have forecast the death of the NATO alliance, but it has remained relevant and is set for another transformation, Danish Army Gen. Knud Bartels, the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, said today.

The chairman of the Military Committee directs the day-to-day business of the committee, NATO's highest military authority, and acts on its behalf, according to the NATO website.

NATO’s transformation will be an inherently different one than in the past, Bartels said at a Defense Writers’ Group breakfast.

Over its history, the alliance has transformed any number of times, Bartels said. The alliance went from a strategy of massive retaliation to one of flexible response. It went from a small Western alliance aimed at a single enemy to a large alliance of like-minded nations sharing and defending shared values. It went from a North Atlantic/European alliance to fighting a war in Central Asia. It has incorporated new capabilities like missile defense and focused on new defenses like operations in the cyber realm.

Transformation underway

Bartels sees a new transformation underway, but one that is fundamentally different than in the past.

“We are living in a world where everything takes place with emails, Twitter, Facebook, et cetera, et cetera,” he said. “This means that the long adaptation we have seen with our previous transformations will be an accelerated process, both at the military and political level.”

Threats will continue for the alliance, he said, and while it needs to look forward, it also needs to look to the past.

The challenge that Russia presents with its occupation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea and threats to eastern Ukraine is one example, Bartels said. Russia launched what is now being called a hybrid campaign against Ukraine.
The hybrid campaign, he said, is characterized by a mixture of conventional forces, unconventional forces, and information warfare.

Hybrid warfare not new

Bartels said hybrid warfare is not new. “You see the way the Soviet Union dealt with Finland during the first Soviet-Finnish War in 1939-1940,” he said. “If you see later on how the Soviet Union implemented its power in what became the Warsaw Pact. Maybe we have not been paying sufficient attention to it.”

The general said NATO knows how to counter such a campaign and is putting in place counters to the various tactics inherent in hybrid warfare.

One problem, he said, is the speed of decision-making on the Russian side. “This is characteristic of the system today and is a challenge to an alliance built on consensus of 28 [members],” Bartels said. “That needs to be addressed at the political level, but the summit at Wales made it quite clear that the allies are aware of the challenge and I am quite confident that the allies are ready to act accordingly when the necessity arises.”

Bartels said he addressed the threat in Vilnius, Lithuania, the site of the most recent meeting of the alliance’s Military Committee. Lithuania is one of the Baltic Republics once a part of the Soviet Union and a possible target of a Russian hybrid campaign.

“I expressed that should a nation or number of nations chose to challenge the integrity of the allies, they will be facing the full might of the most powerful military alliance in the world,” Bartels said. “I said it on purpose -- very clearly and very confident in Vilnius -- one of the Baltic States.”

General Petr Pavel, Chief of the General Staff of Armed Forces of the Czech Republic, was elected to succeed Bartels as the next chairman of the NATO Military Committee when Bartels is expected to step down in June 2015, according to the NATO website.

DEFENSE SECRETARY HAGEL MEETS WITH AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER ABBOTT

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT DEFENSE 

Right:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, right, walks with Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott after hosting a full-honors ceremony to welcome him to the Pentagon, June 13, 2014. The two leaders met to discuss issues of mutual importance. DOD photo by U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Aaron Hostutler.  
Hagel Discusses Defense Cooperation With Australia’s Prime Minister

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 13, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott at the Pentagon this morning with a full-honors ceremony followed by what Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby called a productive discussion on future defense cooperation between the United States and Australia.

In a statement summarizing the meeting, Kirby said Abbott conveyed his deep commitment to the U.S.-Australia alliance.

“Secretary Hagel expressed appreciation for Australia's past and ongoing contributions to Afghanistan and congratulated Prime Minister Abbott on the force posture agreement that he and President Obama announced yesterday,” Kirby said, “noting that the 25-year agreement will provide an enduring framework for the initiatives that our governments embarked upon in November 2011.”

The agreement is a significant milestone in the U.S.-Australia alliance, the admiral added, and will serve as a foundation for the growth of the current U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force rotational presence and activities in Australia, as well as future initiatives that the United States and Australia pursue.

“The secretary and Prime Minister Abbott agreed that the alliance will continue to be an anchor of stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific as we respond jointly to shared challenges in the region,” Kirby said. “To that end, the secretary and prime minister discussed expanding our bilateral cooperation on ballistic missile defense while also working trilaterally with Japan on Australia's submarine program.”

The press secretary said Hagel is looking forward to exploring these topics further at the Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation known as AUSMIN later this year.

Before meeting with the secretary today, Kirby said, Abbott paid his respects at Arlington National Cemetery.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE HAGEL'S REMARKS ON NATO EXPANSION

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 

Right:  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks during the forum "Into the Fold or Out in the Cold? NATO Expansion and European Security After the Cold War," at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., May 2, 2014. DOD photo by Glenn Fawcett. 

Hagel Calls for NATO Meeting on Defense Investment
By Cheryl Pellerin
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 – At a Wilson Center forum here this morning on NATO’s 21st-century security challenges, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for the creation of a new NATO ministerial meeting focused on defense investment that includes finance ministers or senior budget officials.

Hagel’s proposal builds on President Barack Obama's March 26 speech in Brussels, and Atlantic Council statements earlier this week by Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John F. Kerry urging every NATO-member state to meet its commitment to the alliance.

Holding such a ministerial meeting would allow finance ministers or senior budget officials “to receive detailed briefings from alliance military leaders on the challenges we face,” Hagel said.

“Leaders across our governments must understand the consequences of current trends in reduced defense spending,” he added, “and help break through the fiscal impasse.”

Since the end of the Cold War, America’s military spending has become increasingly disproportionate within the alliance, the secretary said. Today, America’s gross domestic product is smaller than the combined GDPs of the 27 NATO allies, but America’s defense spending is three times its allies’ combined defense spending, he added.

Over time, such a lopsided burden threatens NATO’s integrity, cohesion and capability, the secretary said, and ultimately, it affects European and transatlantic security.

“Many of NATO’s smaller members have pledged to increase their defense investment, and earlier this week at the Pentagon, I thanked Estonia’s defense minister for his nation’s renewed commitment and investment in NATO,” Hagel told the audience.

“But the alliance cannot afford for Europe’s larger economies and most militarily capable allies not to do the same, particularly as transatlantic economies grow stronger,” he said. “We must see renewed financial commitments from all NATO members.”

Russia’s actions in Ukraine have made NATO’s value abundantly clear, the secretary said, adding that he knows from frequent conversations with NATO defense ministers that they need no convincing.

“Talking amongst ourselves is no longer good enough,” Hagel said. “Having participated in three NATO defense ministerials and having met with all of my NATO counterparts, I have come away recognizing that the challenge is building support for defense investment across our governments, not just in our defense ministries.”

Defense investment must be discussed in the broader context of member nations’ overall fiscal challenges and priorities, he added.

In meeting its global security commitments, the United States must have strong, committed and capable allies, and this year’s Quadrennial Defense Review makes this clear, the secretary said. Going forward, the Defense Department will seek and increasingly rely on closer integration and collaboration with allies, and in ways that will influence U.S. strategic planning and future investments, Hagel said.
From the early days of the Cold War, American defense secretaries have called on European allies to ramp up their defense investment, he noted. In recent years, one of the biggest obstacles to alliance investment has been a sense that the end of the Cold War ushered in an end to insecurity, at least in Europe, from aggression by nation states, the secretary said.

“Russia’s actions in Ukraine shatter that myth and usher in bracing new realities. Even a united and deeply interconnected Europe still lives in a dangerous world,” Hagel said.

“In the short term, the transatlantic alliance has responded to Russian actions with strength and resolve,” he added. “But over the long term, we should expect Russia to test our alliance’s purpose, stamina and commitment. Future generations will note whether, at this moment of challenge, we summoned the will to invest in our alliance.”

NATO should find creative ways to help nations around the world adapt collective security to a rapidly evolving global strategic landscape, the secretary said.

Collective security is not only the anchor of the transatlantic alliance, he added, but also is a model for emerging security institutions around the world, from Africa to the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia.

“I say this having just convened a forum of [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] defense ministers last month,” Hagel said, “and having called for a Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial this year.”

He added, “These institutions bring our people, interests and economies closer together, serving as anchors for stability, security and prosperity. Strengthening these regional security institutions must be a centerpiece of America’s defense policy as we continue investing in NATO.”

OP-ED BY PRESIDENT OBAMA AND FRENCH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE

FROM:  THE WHITE HOUSE 
Op-ed by President Obama and President Hollande: An Alliance Transformed

The full text of an op-ed by President Obama and President Hollande of France is printed below. 

Obama and Hollande: France and the U.S. enjoy a renewed alliance
By Barack Obama and François Hollande,
Monday, February 10
Barack Obama is president of the United States. François Hollande is president of the French Republic.

Today, American and French diplomats are preparing for talks with Iran that build on the agreement that has halted progress on and rolled back key elements of the Iranian nuclear program. French and American officials share information daily to combat terrorism around the world. Our development experts are helping farmers across Africa and on other continents boost their yields and escape poverty. In forums such as the Group of Eight and the Group of 20, the United States and France promote strong, sustainable and balanced growth, jobs and stability — and we address global challenges that no country can tackle alone. At high-tech start-ups in Paris and Silicon Valley, American and French entrepreneurs are collaborating on the innovations that power our global economy.

A decade ago, few would have imagined our two countries working so closely together in so many ways. But in recent years our alliance has transformed. Since France’s return to NATO’s military command four years ago and consistent with our continuing commitment to strengthen the NATO- European Union partnership, we have expanded our cooperation across the board. We are sovereign and independent nations that make our decisions based on our respective national interests. Yet we have been able to take our alliance to a new level because our interests and values are so closely aligned.

Rooted in a friendship stretching back more than two centuries, our deepening partnership offers a model for international cooperation. Transnational challenges cannot be met by any one nation alone. More nations must step forward and share the burden and costs of leadership. More nations must meet their responsibilities for upholding global security and peace and advancing freedom and human rights.

Building on the first-step agreement with Iran, we are united with our “P5+1” partners — Britain, Germany, Russia and China — and the E.U. and will meet next week in Vienna to begin discussions aimed at achieving a comprehensive solution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. In Syria, our credible threat of force paved the way for the plan to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons; now, Syria must meet its obligations. With the Syrian civil war threatening the stability of the region, including Lebanon, the international community must step up its efforts to care for the Syrian people, strengthen the moderate Syrian opposition, and work through the Geneva II process toward a political transition that delivers the Syrian people from dictatorship and terrorism.

Perhaps nowhere is our new partnership on more vivid display than in Africa. In Mali, French and African Union forces — with U.S. logistical and information support — have pushed back al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, allowing the people of Mali to pursue a democratic future. Across the Sahel, we are partnering with countries to prevent al-Qaeda from gaining new footholds. In the Central African Republic, French and African Union soldiers — backed by American airlift and support — are working to stem violence and create space for dialogue, reconciliation and swift progress to transitional elections.

Across the continent, from Senegal to Somalia, we are helping train and equip local forces so they can take responsibility for their own security. We are partnering with governments and citizens who want to strengthen democratic institutions, improve agriculture and alleviate hunger, expand access to electricity and deliver the treatment that saves lives from infectious diseases. Our two countries were the earliest and are among the strongest champions of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Alongside a revitalized alliance on the world stage, we’re also working to deepen our bilateral economic relationship. Already, France is one of America’s top export markets, and the United States is the largest customer for French goods outside the European Union — trade that supports nearly a million jobs in our two countries. Our cooperation in science and education is illustrated by existing partnerships between our universities, top research laboratories and space agencies. But as entrepreneurial societies that cherish the spirit of invention and creativity, we need to do more to lead the world in innovation.

The trade and investment partnership that we are pursuing between the European Union and the United States is a major opportunity to build on millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic already supported by U.S.-E.U. trade. Such an agreement would result in more trade, more jobs and more export opportunities, including for small businesses in both of our countries. It would also build a lasting foundation for our efforts to promote growth and the global economic recovery.

This includes our leadership to combat climate change. Even as our two nations reduce our own carbon emissions, we can expand the clean energy partnerships that create jobs and move us toward low-carbon growth. We can do more to help developing countries shift to low-carbon energy as well, and deal with rising seas and more intense storms. As we work toward next year’s climate conference in Paris, we continue to urge all nations to join us in pursuit of an ambitious and inclusive global agreement that reduces greenhouse gas emissions through concrete actions. The climate summit organized by the U.N. secretary general this September will give us the opportunity to reaffirm our ambitions for the climate conference in Paris.

The challenges of our time cannot be wished away. The opportunities of our interconnected world will not simply fall into our laps. The future we seek, as always, must be earned. For more than two centuries, our two peoples have stood together for our mutual freedom. Now we are meeting our responsibilities not just to each other — but to a world that is more secure because our enduring alliance is being made new again.

SECRETARY HAGEL HOSTS MEETING WITH KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER BYUNG-SE

FROM:  DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Hagel Hosts South Korean Foreign Minister for Pentagon Meeting
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 7, 2014 – In a meeting with South Korea’s top diplomat at the Pentagon yesterday, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reaffirmed what Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby called “the crucial role of the U.S.-South Korean alliance, which serves as a linchpin for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”

In a statement summarizing Hagel’s meeting with Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se, Kirby said Hagel and Yun reaffirmed that both sides must continue to make progress to develop and acquire critical military capabilities necessary to maintain and strengthen the combined U.S.-South Korean defense posture.
“The two discussed the importance of maintaining a robust combined defense of the Korean Peninsula as a strong deterrent against provocations from North Korea,” he added. Hagel emphasized the importance of the U.S.-South Korean alliance and confirmed the solid U.S. commitment to the defense of the South Korea, Kirby said.

Today, Defense Department officials announced the rotational deployment of the 1st Cavalry Division’s 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, from Fort Hood, Texas, to Camps Hovey and Stanley in South Korea.

This combined arms battalion, with about 800 soldiers and its own wheeled and tracked vehicles, will deploy Feb. 1 to conduct operations in support of U.S. Forces Korea and the U.S. 8th Army, officials said. “This action supports the United States' defense commitment to the Republic of Korea as specified by the mutual defense treaty and presidential agreements,” they added in a statement announcing the deployment.

The battalion will provide a trained and combat-ready force that will deploy with its equipment to South Korea, and the equipment will remain there for use by follow-on rotations, they added. The soldiers will return to Fort Hood upon completion of their nine-month rotation.

READOUT: DEFENSE SECTARY HAGEL'S MEETING WITH AUSTRALIAN MINISTER OF DEFENSE DAVID JOHNSTON

FROM:  U.S. DEFENSE DEPARTMENT 
Readout of Secretary Hagel's Meeting With Australian Minister of Defense David Johnston

Pentagon Press Secretary George Little provided the following readout:

Secretary Hagel met with Australian Minister of Defense David Johnston this morning at NATO Headquarters in Brussels.  This was their first face-to-face meeting since Minister Johnston recently assumed his new position in the Australian Government.

Secretary Hagel reaffirmed the strong U.S.-Australia alliance, the importance of deepening U.S.-Australian defense cooperation across a range of security challenges, and the value of the rotational U.S. military presence in Australia.

The secretary expressed deep appreciation for Australia's contributions to the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, and is looking forward to next month's Australia-United States Ministerial Consultation (AUSMIN) in Washington.

U.S. MILITARY FACILITIES IN NEW MEXICO GET VISITED BY NATO DELEGATION

Air Force Base, N.M. Sandia National Laboratories photo by Randy Montoya

FROM: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
NATO Delegation Visits New Mexico Facilities
By Sheryl Hingorani
Sandia National Laboratories

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., May 9, 2013 - A group of NATO officials are learning about work being done to support the extended nuclear deterrence mission and broader national security programs, ranging from homeland security to global nonproliferation efforts, during a three-day visit to Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

The group is touring Sandia National Laboratories and other facilities on the base in a visit that began May 8 and ends tomorrow. It includes more than 50 representatives from 23 European countries, along with officials from the Departments of Defense and State, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and other U.S. government agencies. The visitors are accompanied by Andrew Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs, and by Elaine Bunn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy.

The visit allows the delegation to see the research and technology required to implement U.S. policies that support the NATO alliance. The agenda for the visit includes an overview of national security and nuclear weapons programs at Sandia, Los Alamos, and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories and the National Nuclear Security Administration's nuclear weapons enterprise, as well as mission briefings by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center.

Sandia President and Laboratories Director Paul Hommert presented an overview of the laboratories' history from their beginnings in the Manhattan Project, which built the first atomic bombs during World War II, to the nuclear weapons manufacturing focus of the Z Division that gave birth to Sandia as a separate laboratory in 1949. Hommert outlined Sandia's sole focus on nuclear weapons through the 1950s and its subsequent evolution into broader national security research, including energy and Department of Defense work outside the sphere of weapons. He emphasized, however, that Sandia is focused on its core responsibility—nuclear weapons life extension programs.

"We are in full gear to execute this mission" with the NATO alliance in mind, Hommert said.

Albuquerque Mayor Richard Berry welcomed the group May 8 at a working lunch at Sandia National Laboratories' International Programs Building. Berry told the delegates he considers the city "the cradle of defense" and cited Sandia's "profound importance for our world and security for our all citizens."

Sandia officials, supported by the National Nuclear Security Administration and the Air Force, also demonstrated various capabilities associated with the labs' pivotal role in supporting the nation's nuclear deterrence and non-proliferation efforts. The delegates took a windshield tour of Sandia's large-scale experimental test areas, saw demonstrations of nuclear accident response equipment, and viewed exhibits related to both homeland and global security programs. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency provided briefings on how they support nuclear surety and inspections, as well as the on-site inspection program activities which support treaty verification activities.

Five members of the delegation will participate in a national security speakers series panel tomorrow, which will be moderated by Bunn and will address U.S. allies' views of extended deterrence, the role of NATO member states in the nuclear deterrent, and arms control negotiations.