Readout of Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace’s phone call with US Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper

21 May 2020 03:53 PM

The Defence Secretary has had a phone call with his US counterpart to discuss ongoing collaboration and shared challenges

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace conducted a phone call with U.S. Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper yesterday and underlined the continued importance of the two nations’ respective contributions to NATO.

Both defence leaders discussed strengthening NATO through mutual support to, and collaboration with, allies and maintaining military readiness in the era of constant competition, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic.

They discussed the ongoing operations and conflicts in Afghanistan, against Daesh in Iraq and Syria and the situation in Libya. They also discussed concerns about Russian and Chinese disinformation and agreed to continue to work together to mitigate the effects of this malign activity.

Mr Wallace also expressed his gratitude for the United States’ continued partnership, and the vital friendship of one of our staunchest Allies.