Readout of Secretary of Defense James Mattis’ Meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
March 21, 2017

Pentagon Spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis provided the following readout:

Secretary Mattis met today with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss the key role the alliance plays in transatlantic security and to review preparations for the upcoming Special Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government. The two leaders discussed ways to encourage allies to assume a more equitable share of alliance security and defense responsibilities. Secretary Mattis thanked Secretary General Stoltenberg for his leadership on this issue and applauded those allies already meeting the two percent of GDP defense spending benchmark. They also discussed enhancing NATO’s role in fighting terrorism and defeating ISIS, and NATO’s missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. Both pledged to consult in the coming months and said they looked forward to meeting again at the next NATO defense ministerial.