Kreetika Kumar 
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will depart this week for a trip to Fiji, Australia, the Philippines, and Laos.
He is scheduled to participate in a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings.
This will be the first-ever visit by a U.S. Secretary of Defense to Fiji.
These engagements will drive ongoing efforts to modernize our alliances and partnerships toward our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.
As part of his twelfth official visit to the region, Secretary Austin will first travel to Darwin, Australia, for multilateral meetings with regional allies and engagements with U.S. Marines from the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin.
From there, Secretary Austin will make his fourth visit to the Philippines.
In Laos, Secretary Austin will participate in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM)-Plus on November 21.
Secretary Austin will conclude his trip in Fiji and will meet with key Fijian leaders to deepen the bilateral defence relationship.
Secretary Austin’s trip comes as the United States builds on unprecedented cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen regional security.
