U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with his counterpart from Great Britain this week to discuss how the two nations can continue to work on cooperation and their military support for allies around the world. The meeting, which saw various critical issues being addressed, took place at Moffett Field in California.
"Met again today with SecState @grantshapps to discuss our continued work together to support Ukraine, reject the terrorism of Hamas, advance the historic AUKUS partnership, and stand shoulder-to-shoulder to protect the rules-based international order.", said Lloyd J. Austin III.
The officials held a follow-up discussion with UK's Secretary of State for Defense, The Right Honourable Grant Shapps, emphasizing their ongoing joint efforts towards supporting Ukraine and rejecting Hamas' terrorism activities while also nurturing the AUKUS partnership.
In line with a DOD press release, as part of efforts to strengthen defense and security cooperation between both countries, topics including situations in Ukraine and Israel were discussed during Austin's meeting with Shapps at Moffett Field in California.
During their interaction, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder emphasized that both officials reiterated their commitment towards upholding Israel's right to self-defense in accordance with international humanitarian law and armed conflict laws. They also delved into discussions regarding ongoing measures taken to bolster Ukraine against Russia's unwarranted aggressive actions.
The DOD press statement further noted that subsequent interactions included meetings with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles pertaining to the Australia-United Kingdom-United States Security Partnership (AUKUS).
Earlier in October, Austin had met Shapps where they deliberated upon backing Israel's self-defense strategies as well as ways to preempt hostile entities seeking to escalate conflicts or exploit situations between Israel and Hamas; this was according to another DOD media statement.
"The leaders reiterated commitments to deliver training equipment, ammunition crucial for Ukraine's self-defense," stated Ryder. Additionally, the significance of strengthening NATO and harnessing AUKUS' potential to enhance stability and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific was also discussed.
