US President Joe Biden has nominated the daughter of the former US president John F Kennedy to be the country's next ambassador to Australia.
The White House listed Caroline Kennedy amongst eight recommended appointments for key diplomatic and agency postings.
The US Senate will need to confirm the nomination before her posting is made official.
Ms Kennedy said she was grateful for the part Australian and Solomon Island coast watchers played in rescuing her father from a sunk torpedo boat in this Pacific during World War II and would work to repay this debt.
"I look forward to collaborating with the government of Australia to strengthen our alliance, improve global health and increase vaccine access during this terrible pandemic and to address the urgent climate crisis," she said in a statement.
"I am excited to get to know the Australian people, learn about their fascinating country and share with them what I love most about America."
Ms Kennedy was the US ambassador to Japan between 2013 and 2017 and was awarded the country's highest honour for foreigners - the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun - in November 2021.
The US embassy in Canberra said it looked forward to welcoming the ambassador to the bush capital pending her confirmation.
"We're excited that President Biden has nominated Caroline Kennedy to be the next US ambassador to Australia," a spokesperson from the embassy told AAP.
"Her nomination underscores the importance President Biden places on the relationship between our two countries and the close bonds we share."
Ms Kennedy would become the 27th person to hold the post if she is confirmed.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese also welcomed the announcement, saying Mr Biden's selection was a great choice.
"It's a senior nomination and it shows the importance of the Australia-US alliance, which this year (is) celebrating its 70th anniversary," he said.
"In addition to that, we have a lot of work to do in the future ... (including) on climate change as an important national security issue in the Indo-Pacific region."
It comes just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Marise Payne discussed the lag in the appointment of Australia's ambassador, with the two agreeing there needed to be a US Senate-confirmed ambassador "as soon as possible in light of the scope and scale of shared challenges we face".
Mr Blinken recently called on the US Senate to expedite its approval of Mr Biden's ambassador nominations for the sake of national security.
© AAP 2021