Defense Secretary Robert Gates is leaving tonight for a whirlwind trip to Australia and Malaysia. The Defense Department says Gates will use the trip to reinforce U.S. commitment to that region. Gates joins Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and their Australian hosts for the 25th anniversary Australian-U.S. ministerial meetings. This year’s AUSMIN talks with cover a broad range of foreign policy, defense and strategic issues, including ongoing military operations in Afghanistan. They’ll also focus on the U.S.-Australia partnership’s role in Asia’s overall security environment.

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