The Under Secretary of the Navy, Mr. Thomas B. Modly, joined allied and partner nation representatives in New York City, April 25, in honor of ANZAC Day.

ANZAC Day is one of Australia's and New Zealand's most important national occasions as it marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War in Gallipoli. The memorial service was led by the Australian and New Zealand Consuls General at Vietnam Veteran's Plaza in downtown Manhattan.

Observed April 25 each year, ANZAC Day was initially devised to honor members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli. Today the national day of remembrance commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders who sacrificed their lives in service to their nations. In the United States, we commemorate the day and honor the long history of partnership that has existed among the three nations.

Today's collective security agreement among the three countries - the Australia, New Zealand, United States Treaty (ANZUS Treaty) - was formed in 1951 to cooperate on military matters in the Pacific Ocean regions, though the treaty is taken today to relate to conflicts worldwide.

"The United States, New Zealand and Australia join today to remember our shared sacrifice in achieving and sustaining peace, stability and prosperity for Pacific nations during the last century," said Modly. "As Secretary Mattis clearly enumerated in the National Defense Strategy, mutually beneficial alliances and partnerships are crucial to our current and future strategy, providing a durable, asymmetric strategic advantage that no competitor or rival can match."

The United States will strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific to form a networked security architecture capable of deterring aggression, maintaining stability, and ensuing free access to common domains.