Chief of the Defence Force (CDF), General David Hurley, AC, DSC hosted New Zealand counterpart Lieutenant General Tim Keating, MNZM, this week on his first visit to Australia as head of the New Zealand Defence Force.
Lieutenant General Keating assumed his appointment as Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZCDF) from Lieutenant General Rhys Jones, MNZM, last week.
“Our two militaries share a long and proud military history that was born on the battlefield, strengthened at Gallipoli and continues today through our mutual engagement in Afghanistan,” General Hurley said.
Lieutenant General Keating’s decision to visit Australia for his first international trip as Defence Chief demonstrates the enduring strength of the relationship between our respective Defence Forces.
“I appreciated General Hurley’s first overseas visit as Australian CDF was to New Zealand, so I was pleased to reciprocate with this visit to Australia,” Lieutenant General Keating said.
The visit focused on Service-level engagement including joint training, exercises and military-to-military exchanges.
“New Zealand and Australia are the two countries most likely to conduct operations together in our region and our discussions explored options to build on our recent successes as well as opportunities for future engagement and mutual cooperation.
The Defence Chiefs also used the visit to discuss Anzac Centenary planning.
“In the lead-up to commemorations for this significant anniversary, it is pleasing to know that the Australia-New Zealand Defence relationship is as strong today as it has been at any point throughout history.
“The visit has emphasised to me the closeness of the Defence relationship and the common security interests our two countries share,” Lieutenant General Keating said.
“I look forward to working with Lieutenant General Keating to grow our program of bilateral engagement through strategic dialogue, joint operations and practical cooperation,” General Hurley said.