"The unbreakable alliance." That is how U.S. President Barack Obama characterized the tie between his country and Australia in a speech to the Australian Parliament on Nov. 17, 2011.
"This is the alliance we reaffirm today," he said, "rooted in our values; renewed by every generation. ... And today I can stand before you and say with confidence that the alliance between the United States and Australia has never been stronger."
It has become the custom for American presidents to make one visit to Australia during their term of office. Obama's brief stopover was accordingly his first, and likely his last, this term. During it, he underscored his security agenda with the announcement that U.S. armed forces would henceforth be stationed in the northern Australian city of Darwin.