Readout of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan’s Meeting With UK Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson

Pentagon Spokesperson Eric Pahon provided the following readout:

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan met with UK Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson yesterday at the NATO Defense Ministerial in Brussels, Belgium, to reaffirm the long-standing and special defense relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, including the importance of NATO alliance unity, disrupting Russian malign activities, and protecting alliance telecommunications infrastructure and interoperability from Chinese manipulation.

The secretary reiterated U.S. commitment to closely consulting with allies and partners on both the Coalition to Defeat ISIS and the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, and thanked Secretary Williamson for continued British contributions in Syria and Afghanistan.

Secretary Shanahan and Secretary Williamson also discussed the continued importance of operations involving the joint U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia, including its significant role in supporting mutual defense interests and global security.