The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Armed Forces, Admiral Michael Mullen, will arrive in Israel Sunday as the first U.S. Joint Chiefs head to visit the country in a decade. Mullen will meet with Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. He will also visit IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv and receive a briefing on the development of Israeli military infrastructure.
Mullen was sworn in to his post in October. He previously served as Commander of the US and NATO fleets in the Atlantic and in Europe. He visited Israel with his wife in May last year.
US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will visit Israel on December 19, and US President George W. Bush will make his first trip to Israel during his presidency on January 9-11.