Australian Chief of Defence Force attends key International Security Assistance Force meeting on Afghanistan

The Chief of the Defence Force, Gen­er­al David Hur­ley has rep­re­sent­ed Aus­tralia the North Atlantic Treaty Organ­i­sa­tion (NATO) Chiefs of Defence Staff Inter­na­tion­al Secu­ri­ty Assis­tance Force (ISAF) ses­sion on Afghanistan at NATO Head­quar­ters in Brus­sels on 18 and 19 Jan­u­ary 2012.

Gen­er­al Hur­ley said there were con­struc­tive dis­cus­sions on cur­rent progress in Afghanistan and the future of the inter­na­tion­al community’s commitment. 

“We are at a deci­sive point in the tran­si­tion from an ISAF to an Afghan secu­ri­ty lead. It is crit­i­cal that Aus­tralia and our Afghan part­ners main­tain the campaign’s pos­i­tive momen­tum” Gen­er­al Hur­ley said. 

The NATO Chiefs of Defence Staff meet­ing is one of the pre­cur­sors to the Chica­go Sum­mit in May which will shape the Strate­gic Plan for Afghanistan post 2014 and endur­ing secu­ri­ty force assistance. 

Gen­er­al Hur­ley reaf­firmed Australia’s com­mit­ment to main­tain our rela­tion­ship with Afghanistan as it takes respon­si­bil­i­ty for its secu­ri­ty and gov­er­nance beyond 2014. 

“As secu­ri­ty con­di­tions improve through 2012 we expect to see Afghan author­i­ties con­tin­ue to take the secu­ri­ty lead. In this light, Aus­tralia con­tin­ues to make progress in train­ing the Afghan Nation­al Army Brigade in Uruz­gan Province,” Gen­er­al Hur­ley said. 

Gen­er­al Hur­ley also con­duct­ed a num­ber of bilat­er­al meet­ings includ­ing dis­cus­sions with US Chair­man of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen­er­al Mar­tin Dempsey; NATO Supreme Allied Com­man­der Trans­for­ma­tion, Gen­er­al Stéphane Abr­i­al and ISAF Com­man­der, Gen­er­al John Allen. 

Press release
Min­is­te­r­i­al Sup­port and Pub­lic Affairs,
Depart­ment of Defence,
Can­ber­ra, Australia 

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