Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dr. Celeste Wallander has returned from a series of bilateral meetings in Libya and Malta. Department of Defense Spokesman Tom Crosson provided details about the trip.
Dr. Wallander, accompanied by Chargé d'Affaires Jeremy Berndt and Lieutenant General John Brennan, Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command, engaged with Libyan senior defense officials on September 23 to discuss military cooperation between the U.S. and Libya.
In Tripoli, Dr. Wallander met with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba and General Mohamed al-Haddad, Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Armed Forces. In Benghazi, she met with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Supreme Commander of the Libyan National Army (LNA), and Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, Chief of Staff of Ground Forces for the LNA. The discussions focused on enhancing military-to-military cooperation and contributing to Libya's long-term goal of military unification.
Libyan leaders emphasized priorities such as increasing counterterrorism efforts, improving border security, and combating smuggling and illegal migration through enhanced maritime domain awareness.
Dr. Wallander also visited Malta where she participated in a military-to-military exchange involving Libyan leaders and held a bilateral meeting with the Maltese Minister of Home Affairs.
