Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s Call With NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Jan. 22, 2021

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly after arriving at the Pentagon today. The call was his first made to a foreign leader as the Defense Secretary, and reinforces the importance of the NATO Alliance to the United States.

The two leaders discussed the importance of our shared values, the current security environment including maintaining a strong NATO deterrence and defense posture, and the ongoing missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. They also briefly reviewed the upcoming NATO Defense Ministerial and agreed to discuss it again in more detail in the coming weeks.

The Secretary said he looked forward to developing a close working relationship with Stoltenberg and both leaders pledged to consult in the months ahead.