The outgoing AFP Commissioner Reece Kershaw (left) and FBI director Kash Patel in Sydney. Photo: US Embassy Screenshot.
The director of the US’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Kash Patel, made a brief visit to Australia and New Zealand in late July to meet with ministers and senior law enforcement officials Down Under.
Mr Patel visited Sydney, where he opened a new FBI office and met Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke and Australian Federal Police (AFP) and NSW Police leadership. While the visit wasn’t previously announced, it was confirmed by Mr Burke and the US Embassy in response to media inquiries.
Mr Patel was appointed director of the FBI in February after a drawn-out and often controversial confirmation process. An embassy statement said he previously held roles in the US Department of Justice, National Security Council, Department of Defense, and Intelligence Community, where he led critical counterterrorism operations, intelligence oversight, and global security initiatives.
The US Embassy said his talks focused on combating transnational crime, cyber threats, and other global issues that required close collaboration with international allies.
“For decades, the FBI has had personnel in Australia, and we’ve experienced and benefited from strong cooperation with our counterparts in the region,” Mr Patel said in an FBI media statement.
“During this visit, the PRC [China] threat – not to just this region, but worldwide – was a key conversation with our intelligence and investigative partners. The FBI is dedicated to combating this growing threat through our longstanding relationships in Australia, and we will continue to work together to address our shared goals in the region.”
“Thank you, Sydney, Australia, for having us on this wonderful trip,” he later said in a LinkedIn video post.
“It’s incredibly important for the Indo-PACOM region that we work with our Australian partners and law enforcement and intelligence to safeguard our freedoms and our way of life.
“I’m so blessed to have Australia as a reliable ally in the region.
“The US-Australian Law Enforcement Partnership is one of the most important relationships we have.
“They are a strategic partner in our Five Eyes alliance, and this is critical to sharing infrastructure, intelligence, and collaborate collectively on law enforcement intelligence capabilities to protect us in this region and abroad – to protect Americans, to protect Australians, and we rely on our capable partners here in Australia every single day 24/7 to share the credible intelligence we need to protect our people.”
The FBI says it collaborates with international law enforcement partners through a network of offices worldwide – known as Legats – which are established through mutual agreement with host countries.
“FBI personnel and our Australian partners work to address shared priority areas through joint investigations, information-sharing, and capacity-building,” it says.
“We will continue to investigate and disrupt a wide range of threats and criminal activities including terrorism, cybercrime and fraud, organised crime and money laundering, child exploitation, and foreign intelligence threats.”
Following media queries from the ABC, Mr Burke said he had enjoyed a dinner with Mr Patel.
“We share a commitment to keeping our people safe, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve together in the interest of national security,” he said.
Mr Patel also opened a dedicated law enforcement attaché office in the New Zealand capital, Wellington, where he also met ministers and senior police officials.
Opening the office, he echoed the comments made in Australia about working closely with New Zealand to counter the Chinese Communist Party and other threats in the region.
“Some of the most important global issues of our times are the ones that New Zealand and America work on together,” he said.
“The FBI has had a strong relationship and collaborated closely with our counterparts in New Zealand for years. Expanding the Wellington office demonstrates the strength and evolution of our partnership as we continue to work together to address our shared security objectives in the region.”
The FBI has operated in New Zealand since 2017 as a suboffice of the Legat in Canberra, but the new office there will give it a permanent foothold.
“The FBI cannot do it alone,” Mr Patel added. “The FBI, in my opinion, is the greatest law enforcement agency in the world, and our partners in the Five Eyes are our greatest partners around the world. But we need all of them … to get after the fight and put the mission first.”
