Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann today reaffirmed their strong support for continued defense cooperation between their countries, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.
In a statement, Cook provided details of a meeting between the defense leaders on the sidelines of the Conference of the Defense Ministers of the Americas in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Progress on Agreements
“Both expressed confidence that progress will be made in the near future on a range of bilateral defense agreements, including a master information exchange agreement; a research, development, testing and evaluation agreement; and an acquisition and cross-servicing arrangement,” Cook said.
Carter commended Brazil's contributions to peacekeeping operations in Africa and around the world, the press secretary said, and also discussed ways that the United States and Brazil can continue to collaborate on regional issues.
“Minister Jungmann thanked the secretary for sending a U.S. delegation to Brazil for the first defense industry dialogue in September, reinforcing the importance of deepening bilateral trade and defense technology cooperation,” he added.
Carter and Jungmann also both noted the excellent security cooperation surrounding Brazil's successful hosting of the summer Olympics, Cook said, and they agreed to continue to stay in close contact on mutual security issues.