On October 29, 2024, U.S. and Croatian officials held Bilateral Defense Consultations at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The meeting was co-chaired by Ms. Lisa Sawyer, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy, and Ms. Nikolina Volf, Deputy Director of Policy from the Croatian Ministry of Defense.

The consultations included representatives from various organizations such as the Ministry of Defense and General Staff of Croatia, the U.S. Joint Staff, U.S. European Command, Minnesota National Guard, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and Department of State.

Key topics discussed were global security issues, support to Ukraine, and bilateral security cooperation priorities like exercises and training programs. Other areas of focus included military-to-military engagements and defense modernization initiatives.

Croatian officials shared their views on security challenges in the Western Balkans region. They highlighted Croatia's contributions to NATO through initiatives such as fielding a Heavy Brigade to meet alliance capabilities. Infrastructure development at training ranges and ports was also discussed alongside logistics cooperation efforts.

The United States expressed gratitude towards Croatia for a productive consultation session and emphasized the significance of the EU-facilitated Dialogue in achieving stability in the Western Balkans.