Defence Minister Judith Collins at the CIA headquarters. Photo: Supplied/ Judith Collins
Defence Minister Judith Collins has met with the Central Intelligence Agency director and held discussions at Langley, during a trip to Washington DC.
Collins is responsible for New Zealand's Government Communications Security Bureau and NZ Security Intelligence Service agencies, as well as defence.
She posted on X on Friday (US Eastern Daylight Time, Saturday NZ time) that she had visited the CIA headquarters in Langley, where she met CIA head John Ratcliffe and had also been part of discussions.
Judith Collins meets CIA director John Ratcliffe. Photo: Supplied/ Judith Collins
Collins visited the Memorial Wall to former CIA agents who died in service and said she found it "very moving". Many of the agents remembered there are represented only by a star and no name, as their missions are still classified.
Collins said, while New Zealand focused on building a more combat-capable defence force, discussing potential opportunities for closer collaboration with the USA was important.
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