Defense Secretary Ash Carter has begun a domestic trip that will take him to three cities in two states to talk with troops, local officials and private-sector industry leaders, senior defense officials said.
Carter left Washington this afternoon on a multiday trip to highlight the U.S. Army Global Response Force’s readiness and training and thank service members involved in current operations. The defense secretary will also meet during the trip with corporate leaders and local officials to discuss key Pentagon reform initiatives, defense officials said.
Tomorrow in Idaho, the secretary will continue an effort he launched during his April Silicon Valley visit by participating in a discussion at the 2015 Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference on the importance of a strong partnership between private-sector innovators and government.
On July 10, Carter will spend the day at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with Army personnel who are assigned to the GRF, defense officials said. The defense secretary will observe training events and host a troop event that will be streamed live on defense.gov.
Part of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, the GRF is prepared to deploy anywhere in the world within 96 hours of notification.
On July 11, Carter will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, to deliver keynote remarks at the 80th Annual Conference of the National Association of Counties.
There he will speak about the strong foundation that local communities provide U.S. service members today and as the department builds the force of the future, defense officials said. His speech will be streamed live on defense.gov.
(Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter @PellerinDoDNews)