US and Australia pay tribute to British soldier killed in Ukraine at Pentagon meeting with Healey
We’ve just heard from Defence Secretary John Healey, who is meeting with his US and Australian counterparts during the AUKUS defence meeting at the Pentagon in Washington DC.
Healey thanked US secretary of war Pete Hegseth and Australian defence minister Richard Marles for their tributes to 28-year-old Lance Corporal George Hooley, who died in Ukraine yesterday.
Hegseth said: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to you, and to him, and his family, and it’s a reflection of the sacrifice and commitment that so many make around the world.”
Richard Marles, the Australian defence secretary, also passed on his condolences, saying he was also very much thinking of the soldier and his family at this moment.
The UK defence secretary said he would pass on the remarks to Hooley’s family.
Healey added that the death was “a reminder to us all of the risks that our service men and women put themselves at in order to keep the rest of us safe”.
We reported earlier (see post at midday) that the Ministry of Defence confirmed Hooley’s death in a statement, and it marked the first confirmed serving member of the British armed forces to be killed on the ground in Ukraine since the start of the war in February 2022.
