PM greeted by bitter cold in Washington

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull jetted into Washington with his mind attuned to the steady resolve needed to claim victory against Islamic State militants in the Middle East.

At his first stop in the US capital - the Arlington War Cemetery - flanked by US Defense Secretary Ash Carter, the prime minister had to find some of his own steady resolve as he honoured America's fallen troops at a wreath-laying ceremony.

Washington was -7 degrees and the windchill factor felt like -15 at 10am on Monday (US time).

The bitter cold forced US officials to abandon the playing of Australian and US national anthems during the military ceremonial welcome and honour guard.

But there was still plenty of bells-and-whistles treatment in store for Mr Turnbull including an overnight stay at the prestigious Blair House.

At the Pentagon, Mr Carter and Mr Turnbull had a productive discussion on military cooperation and recent developments in Syria and Iraq.

Mr Turnbull shared his insights from a whirlwind weekend visit to Iraq and Afghanistan and Mr Carter expressed his appreciation for Australia's contribution to those conflicts.

Canberra has formally rejected what Mr Turnbull described as a "form letter" US request for increased military contributions from its coalition partners.

Australia has 780 defence personnel deployed in the Middle East providing training and conducting air strikes over Iraq and Syria.

His global security focus continued in the afternoon with a keynote address to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, in which Mr Turnbull made the case for the "right boots on the ground".

"An enduring victory must be won and owned by the people of Iraq and Syria," he said.

Mr Turnbull later switched gears to the economy at afternoon talks with Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen and US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew.

He also took time out of his hectic schedule of meetings to reflect on the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior at a Washington memorial.

Monday is a public holiday for the civil rights movement icon, marking his birthday.

The prime minister is set to hold bilateral talks with President Barack Obama at the White House on Tuesday before he wraps up the two-day official visit to the US.