Hagel to Visit Singapore, Brussels on Upcoming Overseas Trip

You are subscribed to American Forces News Articles for U.S. Department of Defense. This information has recently been updated, and is now available. Hagel to Visit Singapore, Brussels on Upcoming Overseas Trip 05/28/2013 01:34 PM CDT Hagel to Visit Singapore, Brussels on Upcoming Overseas Trip By Karen Parrish American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, May 28, 2013 - Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will travel to Hawaii, Singapore and Brussels beginning this week, senior defense officials announced today. Hagel will deliver the opening keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, officials told Pentagon reporters during a background briefing. The annual conference draws defense and security experts from across the Asia-Pacific region. One official noted Hagel will attend the dialogue for the first time this year as defense secretary, but that as a senator, he helped to found the event in 2002. "He's spoken a number of times at the forum, and he's really looking forward to going back now," an official said. This will be Hagel's first trip to Asia as secretary, the official said, but his father served in the Pacific theater in World War II, and both Hagel and one of his brothers served together in Vietnam. "He has a personal commitment to the security of Asia," the official added. There will be "a lot of focus on follow-through" at this year's event, one official said. He noted that last year, then-Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta gave a speech outlining initiatives accompanying the U.S. strategic rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. Two of those steps -- moving a littoral combat ship to Singapore and deploying Marines to Darwin, Australia -- have taken place in the intervening year, the official said, and Hagel will discuss those and other issues with counterparts from the region. The secretary also will tour the USS Freedom, the first littoral combat ship in the region. Officials said Hagel's schedule in Singapore includes a number of bilateral meetings and two trilateral meetings: one with South Korean and Japanese ministers, and another with Australian and Japanese counterparts. En route to Singapore, the secretary will visit U.S. troops and military leaders during a stop in Hawaii, the official said. Hagel's travel will wrap up with a gathering of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the official said.   Biographies: Chuck Hagel   Defense Department News Through Facebook On American Forces Press Service's Facebook page, you can post comments and share news, photos and videos. Go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Forces-Press-Service/65137437532 or search for American Forces Press Service at Facebook.com. Update your subscriptions, modify your password or e-mail address, or stop subscriptions at any time by clicking on your 'User Profile' page at https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOD/subscriber/edit?preferences=true#tab1. You will need to use your e-mail address to log in. If you have questions or problems with the subscription service, please e-mail support@govdelivery.com. Have another inquiry? Visit the online FAQ at http://www.defense.gov/landing/questions.aspx for up-to-date information. Get the help you, your family, and fellow servicemembers need, when you need it. Visit www.WarriorCare.mil to learn more. Check out the National Resource Directory at www.nationalresourcedirectory.org, a new web-based resource for wounded, ill and injured service members, veterans, their families, families of the fallen and those who support them from the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Veterans Affairs. This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Department of Defense. Visit us on the web at http://www.defense.gov/. Updates from the U.S. Department of Defense