Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby provided the following readout:
On August 31, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Norwegian Minister of Defense Frank Bakke-Jensen to convey appreciation for Norway’s contributions to evacuation and retrograde operations from Afghanistan, in particular the critical role of Norway’s field hospital at Hamid-Karzai International Airport in treating the wounded, including U.S. service members, following the August 26 terrorist attack at Abbey Gate.
The leaders discussed the close and longstanding cooperation between U.S. and Norwegian forces over the twenty-year mission in Afghanistan and reaffirmed the strong bilateral defense relationship.