Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Tom Kelly will travel to Malaysia December 10-14 for consultations with senior officials on a wide range of political-military issues, including peacekeeping, security cooperation, and defense trade.
In Kuala Lumpur, Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly will meet with senior policymakers and defense officials to discuss regional defense and security cooperation issues. On December 13, Acting Assistant Secretary Kelly will attend a ceremony at the Malaysian Peacekeeping Centre, to mark its successful achievement of Full Training Capability, which constitutes self-sufficiency to provide advanced specialized training for military and civilian personnel from across Southeast Asia to serve in international peacekeeping missions.
Malaysia is a strong U.S. partner on efforts to meet the growing global demand for peacekeeping personnel for UN and regional organizations’ peace operations through efforts such as the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), a U.S. Department of State-led security cooperation program that has helped train and equip more than 225,000 peacekeeping personnel worldwide. Malaysia is the first of 66 GPOI partner nations to reach this unique milestone, and a significant contributor to efforts to promote international peace and security.