United States Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to visit Georgia

Hagel will next travel to Georgia, one of the United States' and NATO's most important and capable partners, Kirby said. “This will be his first visit to Georgia as secretary, but he's met with his Georgian counterpart before and also met with the Georgian prime minister earlier this year while in Munich,” the admiral said.

“The Georgian military has been a valued partner of the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he added, “and the secretary looks forward to thanking the Georgian people for their contributions and sacrifices over the last decade.” Georgia shares U.S. concerns about Russia's actions in Ukraine, Kirby said, and that will top Hagel’s agenda during the visit.