At least 17 firefighters from the United States will be going to Australia to assist with the bush fires down under. A Type 1 IC will be a member of the group, which is expected to be deployed for 30 days.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had previously scheduled a visit to Australia and will rearrange her schedule to visit with the U.S. firefighters while they are in the country. Secretary Clinton and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will be attending the annual Australia-United States Ministerial Consultations. She expects to arrive in Canberra on January 17.
We will update this story later in the day as more details become available.
