Rep. Joe Courtney Awarded with Pre-Eminent Honor for Extraordinary Service to Australia

NORWICH, CT - Today, Congressman Joe Courtney, Co-Chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, has been appointed by the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia as an Honorary Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia (AO). Honorary awards and appointments in the Order of Australia are made to individuals who are not Australian citizens, formally recognizing extraordinary service to Australia.

Congressman Courtney joins a select group of appointees, including Senator Roy Blunt, former Co-Chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, Admiral Harry Harris, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea and Commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, and General David Petraeus, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

The Embassy of Australia will hold a banquet next month in Washington, DC at which Congressman Courtney will be presented the award.

"As co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, it has been a distinct honor to advance the U.S.-Australia relationship that is founded on a shared commitment to preserving international rule of law and democratic values. Australia is a nation that has provided early warning guidance about the challenges that democracies face around the world, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. To this day, it is ranked by Freedom House as one the world's healthiest democracies, a powerful inspiration at a time when autocracy is on the rise. The Friends Caucus has fostered bipartisan inter-Congressional and Parliamentary dialogue over the last eight years, which has benefited both nations. Starting in 2021, the U.S.-Australian relationship entered a new era of collaboration under the AUKUS agreement to protect a free and open pacific, and, thanks to the Courtney-Gallagher amendment in 2022, classes of Royal Australian Navy sailors are today conducting training alongside U.S. Navy submariners in Groton, Connecticut. In 2023, the Caucus supported passage of new AUKUS authorities, which will enable robust integration of advanced technologies among Australia, the U.K., and the U.S. to deter coercive behavior. It is an honor to accept this appointment from the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, which is a reflection of the Australian government's ironclad commitment to our nations' long-standing mateship," saidCongressman Courtney AO.

On July 26, 2024, Courtney met with the first group of Royal Australian Navy enlisted Sailors who graduated from Basic Enlisted Submarine School in his district, Groton, Connecticut.

The Order of Australia is the pre-eminent way Australians recognize achievements and service.

Honorary appointments in the Order of Australia, like Congressman Courtney received, are made to people who are not Australian citizens where they have given extraordinary service to Australia or humanity at large. Recommendations for non-citizens and non-permanent residents for Honorary appointments in the General Division of the Order of Australia are made to the Governor-General by the Prime Minister of Australia.

To read more about Courtney's leadership on the trilateral AUKUS security agreement, click here.