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Deputy Secretary Discusses Bilateral Meetings After Halifax Forum

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Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work had a chance over the weekend to meet face-to-face with a range of U.S. allies and partners and to get their impressions of international situations that affect them directly.

Work visited Halifax, Nova Scotia, Nov. 19-21 to participate in the Halifax International Security Forum, hold bilateral meetings, and host a multilateral discussion on Russian aggression and actions with North American, European and Eurasian allies and partners.

During his visit, the deputy secretary met separately with newly appointed Canadian Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan, and with defense ministers from Colombia, Georgia, Montenegro and Albania. He also met with the deputy minister and chief of staff of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Talking with Allies

On his way home Nov. 21, Work described his bilateral meetings and the multilateral meeting on Russia with reporters who traveled with him to Halifax.

“Being able to talk to our allies is really valuable, if for nothing else than to get their impressions,” Work said.

“I talk to a lot of my counterparts by phone,” he added, “but it's not often I get to meet them in such big groups, like all the people we had at the Russian roundtable. It was really good.”

Generally, discussions focused on global security challenges, including collaboration on efforts to share intelligence, NATO reassurance initiatives, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s attacks in Paris and ongoing counter-ISIL operations ,.

Canada’s Commitment

At the forum, Work had a first meeting with Canada’s new defense minister. The deputy secretary expressed appreciation for Canada's support in the fight against ISIL and their commitment to look at all options to continue to make valuable contributions to the coalition.

I'm really impressed with the guy,” Work said, describing him as “very operationally oriented.”

Sajjan was a member of the Vancouver Police Department for 11 years, part of that time a detective for the gang crime unit. As a regimental commander in the Canadian armed forces he had four operational deployments; one to Bosnia and three to Afghanistan. Several Canadian media outlets refer to him as a “badass.”

Work said he spoke with Sajjan at length about his time in Afghanistan, and during the meeting about the thinking of Canada’s new regime on its future contributions to the counter-ISIL coalition and whether it will stick with its commitment to buy 65 F-35 Lightning II jet fighters. Canada is also an industrial partner in the F-35 program.

Part of the Coalition

“Regardless of whether or not they ultimately decide to remove their [advise and assist] teams, they said they'll work with us and they want to remain a big part of the coalition,” Work said.

“On the F-35, essentially I said, ‘Hey, what is your thinking?’ because I said I wasn't here to try to put any pressure on [Sajjan],” the deputy secretary added.

Work said the Canadians, according to a statement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, may have “another full and open competition.

“I think the F-35 will be part of that,” he added, “but the requirements from the competition may change. We don't know.”

The new regime has been in the job only for three weeks, Work said, “so they weren't able to tell me too much, and I wouldn't have expected them to.”

Conversations with Counterparts

In talks during the forum with Colombian Defense Minister Luis Carlos Villegas, Work thanked Colombia for being one of the United States’ closest partners in Latin America.

The deputy secretary also pledged continued U.S. support to help Colombia consolidate its historic peace process with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and advance shared security objectives.

Work and Georgian Defense Minister Tinatin Khidasheli highlighted Georgia's continued support in Afghanistan.

“Georgia has been in the fight in Afghanistan for the entire time. They're going to keep their people through 2016. They said that they'd be with us there as long as we're there,” the deputy secretary said. “We're doing an awful lot of training with them and we're considering a wide variety of different equipment requests.”

Work and Milica Pejanovic-Djurisic, Montenegro’s defense minister, discussed the role and importance of NATO to Montenegro, and Work expressed his support for that nation’s application for NATO membership.

With Albanian Defense Minister Mimi Kodheli, the deputy secretary expressed appreciation for Albanian support to the counter-ISIL effort. And with Ukraine’s defense minister, Vadym Prystaiko, Work addressed NATO reforms and the need for Ukraine to plan up to NATO standards.

Ukraine Assistance

On Ukraine, Work said training is going well and that defense authorizers said the department could have up to $300 million in fiscal year 2016 for more assistance.

“The appropriators may have to take in a little bit of that to close the books,” he added, “but we're expecting somewhere between $200 million and $300 million, and we're working with the Ukrainians” to determine what they most need.

Eyes on Russia

During the forum, senior defense officials said that the U.S.-Russia agreement in October to protect pilots by establishing rules that minimize the risk of air collisions over Syria has alarmed Ukraine, Georgia and other nations in the region.

They just do not want us to take our eyes off Russia,” Work explained.

“They're saying, we understand … that cooperating with Russia is necessary, but don't forget us. So one of the things I tried to portray to them is that we will never forget you, we're going to help you become as resilient as you possibly can. We're going to help do training, we're going to work with you,” he added.

(Follow Cheryl Pellerin on Twitter: @PellerinDoDNews)

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