The US embassy has confirmed the new ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, will arrive in the country on Friday.
Key points:
- Caroline Kennedy was appointed to the role by the US Senate in May
- She will work alongside Australia and the US on the AUKUS agreement
- Ms Kennedy previously served as US ambassador to Japan under the Obama administration
Ms Kennedy is expected to be based in Canberra and says she will continue to support strong ties between the two nations.
"I know that our countries are the strongest of allies, and that our parents and grandparents fought side by side for more than 100 years," she said.
"I'm honoured to represent President Joe Biden who I've admired since I was a senate intern in 1974."
Ms Kennedy is a former US ambassador to Japan from 2013 to 2017 under the Obama administration, and daughter of former president John F Kennedy.
The US Senate appointed Ms Kennedy to the role in May this year, and she said her family had a long history of respect and appreciation for Australia.
"In 1943, my father's PT boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. If not for the help of two Solomon Islanders and an Australian coast watcher, he and his crew would not have survived," she said.
"He wanted to be the first sitting president to visit Australia, so I'm honoured to carry his legacy forward in my own small way."
Ms Kennedy will work alongside the Australian and US governments on the AUKUS relationship and will help Australia acquire and maintain nuclear-powered submarines.
She succeeds Arthur Culvahouse, who left the position in early 2021, when former president Donald Trump left office.
Focus on Indo-Pacific
Last week at the Pacific Islands Forum, US Vice President Kamala Harris said the US was committed to working alongside Pacific nations.
Now with a new ambassador in the region, the US is expected to step up its diplomatic efforts.
Before her confirmation Ms Kennedy said working with Pacific Island nations would be a priority, including working to reopen the US embassy in Honiara as a way to drive engagement with the region.
"No one is more committed to advancing peace and stability, fighting climate change and increasing American economic engagement in the region than the Biden-Harris administration, and I'm proud to be a member of the team," she said.
Ms Kennedy is also an advocate for tackling climate change and plans to support the transition to green energy sources.
"I look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Albanese, Foreign Minister Wong and the government to advance our shared democratic values, strengthen our commitment to a healthy, peaceful and prosperous Indo Pacific and advanced the transition to a green energy world," she said.
"This is a critical time in the history of our two countries.
"What we do together in the next few years, will determine the future of the region and the planet, and I can't wait to get started."