US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter will depart Washington Oct. 4 for a five-day trip to Europe to attend the NATO Defense Ministerial Conference in Brussels and meet with counterparts in Spain, Italy, and the United Kingdom to discuss major conflicts such as Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and other vital matters.
 
On Monday, Secretary Carter will meet with Spanish leaders in Madrid.
 
On Tuesday, he will visit U.S. Marines at Morón Airbase, Spain before travelling to Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy later that day to visit U.S. personnel stationed there.
 
Secretary Carter will be in Rome Wednesday where he will meet with Italian leaders.
 
On Thursday, he will attend the NATO Ministerial in Belgium, including sessions on nuclear strategy, the NATO-Georgia Commission, and discussions on how the United States and our allies can best respond to threats along the southern flank.
 
Secretary Carter then travels to London where on Friday he will discuss with his counterpart the ongoing Strategic Defense and Security Review. He returns to Washington that night.