US top brass booked for defence meetings

United States Under Secretary for the Navy Thomas B Modly, pictured, will meet government and defence force officials during a two-day visit.
The meetings are to reaffirm US commitment to the defence and security of Papua New Guinea in the Indo-Pacific region. He will also encourage the Government to nominate candidates for US military academy scholarships.
Papua New Guinea is eligible to submit up to six nominees to compete for a spot at the military academy or the naval academy.
Modly urged Papua New Guineans who meet the admission standards to apply to study at one of those institutions.
Modly is a graduate of the US naval academy where he received a Bachelor of Political Science in 1983. Upon graduation he joined the United States Navy and served until 1990.
Before being sworn into his present position on Dec 4, Modly was the Deputy Under-Secretary of Defence for financial management from 2004 to 2007.