US Defense Secretary to attend 2021 Shangri-La Dialogue
(VOVWORLD) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit due to be held in Singapore next month, organizers said, after the annual meeting was cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
 United States Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks during an event with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to mark International Women's Day in the East Room of the White House in Washington on Monday, Mar 8, 2021. (File photo: AP/Patrick Semansky) |
This year's event, which is being arranged by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is scheduled to take place from June 4–5.
"It marks the Secretary's first trip to Southeast Asia, and as well as delivering his on-the-record speech, he will also conduct bilateral and multilateral meetings on the sidelines of the summit," IISS said in a statement.
The Shangri-La Dialogue has typically attracted top level military officials, diplomats and weapons makers from around the globe since its launch in 2002.
This year’s topics will include the US’s Indo-Pacific strategy, Asia-Pacific cooperation, threats to the regional environment and security, AI, and new technologies.