The Chief Minister will travel to the United States in early September, to reaffirm Defence ties and promote the Northern Territory's abundance of critical minerals and emergency response capability.
During the trip, the Chief Minister will meet with key US Federal government decision makers to advance the Territory's role in supporting US Defence training initiatives under the Australian-United States Alliance in the Northern Territory.
It's also an opportunity to develop US Defence's planned infrastructure investments in the Northern Territory, creating local jobs.
The Northern Territory plays a crucial role as an alliance hub to support and enable Australian and allied military forces in a secure, yet geostrategic location.
While in the United States, the Chief Minister will also promote Northern Territory's emerging role in supporting resilient critical mineral supply chains for major private sector aerospace and defence contractors.
This announcement comes after key Territory defence industry, government agencies and industry associations joined a defence roundtable in Darwin last week.
The meeting, led by the Chief Minister, was an opportunity to discuss the implementation of recommendations of the Defence Strategic Review and the Australia-US Alliance in the Indo-Pacific.
Quotes attributable to Chief Minister Natasha Fyles:
"Defence is a significant part of our economy, and we will see it grow as the Defence Strategic Review is implemented. The Northern Territory plays a pivotal role in the bilateral relationship between the US and Australia, and the defence of our nation.
Reinforcing our commitment to the Australia-United States Alliance is important across defence and other joint initiatives in the Indo-Pacific.
The Northern Territory Government is working to grow more opportunities for our industry and to strengthen international relationships in the areas of defence, regional health security and global critical minerals supply chain."
Northern Territory Government
