MEDIA RELEASE
8 August 2006
For immediate release
AUSTRALIAN CHIEF OF NAVY VISITS PAPUA NEW GUINEA
The Australian Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral (VADM) Russ Shalders, AO, CSC, RAN, will arrive in PNG tomorrow for a three day visit.
VADM Shalders will be accompanied by the Australian Defence Force's Director General Pacific and East Timor, Commodore (CDRE) Kevin Taylor, CSC, RAN.
During his visit, which runs until Friday, VADM Shalders is planning to meet PNG's Defence Minister, the Honourable Martin Aini, MP; the PNGDF Commander, CDRE Peter Ilau, DMS, CBE and Secretary for Defence, Mr Fred Punangi.
Colonel McMillan, Head of the Australian Defence Staff in PNG, said the visit underlined the close defence links between Australia and PNG.
He said: “The visit to PNG by a senior Australian Defence Force officer such as VADM Shalders reinforces Australia's commitment to the bilateral defence relationship with PNG and to Australia's overall relationship with its nearest neighbour.
“The fact Australia and PNG share a maritime border is naturally of major interest to Australia's Chief of Navy.”
This is not the first time that VADM Shalders has been to Papua New Guinea. He commanded a patrol boat in PNG in the late 1970s.
Vice Admiral Shalders was first promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral in 2001. He was appointed as Vice Chief of the Defence Force in July 2002.
He received the AO in the Australia Day Awards list in 2003 and was appointed Chief of Navy in July 2005.
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