MOSCOW (Sputnik) – US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter will embark on Saturday on a two-week trip to thank US service members and meet with key allies in Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
"Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will embark on an around-the-world trip Dec. 3-16 to thank deployed US troops for their service over the holidays, meet with important regional partners, and advance US priorities," the Pentagon said in a statement.
Carter is scheduled to meet with Indian officials on December 8 to discuss expanded defense cooperation and build on New Delhi’s strategic partnership with Washington. On December 10, he meets with US Navy sailors stationed in Bahrain and speaks at the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual Manama Dialogue.
The next stop on the secretary’s itinerary is Israel, where Carter will attend a ceremony marking the arrival of that country’s first F-35 Joint Strike Fighters from the United States.
Carter visits Italy to meet with US service members December 13-14 to thank them for their help in NATO operations.
His final stop is London, where on December 15 he will co-host a meeting of countries in the US-led coalition against Daesh.
