Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon today. The meeting kicked off a week of events marking the 75th Anniversary NATO Summit in Washington, DC.
Secretary Austin underscored the progress NATO has made on strengthening its deterrence and defense and thanked Secretary General Stoltenberg for his leadership of the Alliance during one of the most challenging periods in NATO's history.
The leaders discussed key items on the Summit agenda, including continuing to make progress on implementing NATO's new family of plans, ensuring enduring support for Ukraine, and strengthening the transatlantic defense industrial base. The leaders also discussed the need to sustain increased defense spending to fully resource NATO's plans.
Secretary Austin and Secretary General Stoltenberg reaffirmed their commitment to the Alliance's work and looked forward to a successful 75th Anniversary Summit.
After the meeting, Secretary Austin presented Secretary General Stoltenberg with the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service to commemorate his steadfast leadership of the Alliance over his ten-year tenure. This is the highest honor a Secretary of Defense can present to a non-U.S. citizen.
