Ministers head to US for talks

New Defence Minister Marise Payne and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are off to the US for annual top level defence talks.

This year's Australia-US Ministerial meeting - AUSMIN - will be held in Boston, with recent events in Syria and Afghanistan high on the agenda.

"The Australia-US alliance is fundamental to Australia's defence and security strategy.

The consultations with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary for Defense Ashton Carter will provide the opportunity to discuss a range of regional and global security challenges and further strengthen our relationship," Senator Payne said in a statement on Saturday.