Dutch Defense Minister Hans Hillen Visits United States; Meets with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta

News article | January 10, 2012

(Washington, D.C.) — Dutch Defense Minister Hans Hillen makes his first visit to the United States January 9-13 where he will hold meetings with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta; representatives from Lockheed Martin; travel to Ft. Hood, Texas; and CENTCOM in Tampa.

Minister Hillen’s visit to the U.S. comes just days after President Obama unveiled his new defense strategy at the Pentagon. The Minister will meet with Secretary Panetta to discuss U.S./Dutch military cooperation and how the Netherlands and NATO are meeting their defense responsibilities.

In Europe, Minister Hillen is leading the call for NATO’s European members to create more innovative practices for smarter defense, such as smarter pooling and sharing of resources and building more coalitions of the willing.

The United States and the Netherlands share a strong bilateral relationship that extends from joint training exercises in Ft. Hood to the Dutch military’s participation in missions in Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan and the F-35 program.

On Thursday, January 12th, the Atlantic Council will host Minister Hillen as he gives an address on “How to Keep Transatlantic Security AAA: Outsmarting the Crisis by Thinking Beyond Institutional Lines” as part of the Atlantic Council’s NATO Forum program (#NATOForumNL). The event is open to the public.

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For more than 400 years, the Netherlands and the United States have been joined by the values of freedom, justice and an entrepreneurial spirit. A vibrant economic force, the Netherlands is also the third largest investor in America and a reliable trade and investment partner to the U.S. The Royal Netherlands Embassy, Dutch Consulates General and Honorary Consuls in the U.S. promote strong bilateral relations between the United States and the Netherlands in the areas of peace and stability; international law; energy and climate; water management; international human rights; and creative industries. The Netherlands and the United States: Two countries, one spirit united by values, history and a vision of the future.

More information: Key Topics - The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Washington DC

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