Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will travel to Trinidad and Tobago Oct. 10-11 to meet with critical security partners and build on opportunities for cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Secretary Carter will participate in the 12th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA). He is expected to participate in conference discussions regarding the changing international defense and security environment, environmental protection, and strengthening humanitarian disaster response throughout the hemisphere.
He is also expected to conduct bilateral meetings with several of his counterparts from Western Hemisphere nations.
The secretary had hoped to begin this trip with a visit to Colombia. Because of the potential impact of Hurricane Matthew on the East Coast including to DoD facilities and personnel, and because of the department's potential role in recovery efforts, the secretary decided to postpone the Colombia portion of his trip. Colombia will be represented at CDMA, and the secretary looks forward to engaging with Colombian officials and expressing continued U.S. support for the peace process in that country.
Press interested in covering any of these events locally can request contact information from OSD Press Operations at 703-697-5131 or
osd.pa.dutyofficer@mail.mil.