Department of Defense Spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Anton T. Semelroth provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone today with Turkish Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar to discuss opportunities to increase and strengthen our longstanding defense ties and to share perspectives on regional issues, including the shared threat from terrorism. The Secretary reaffirmed the great value the United States places on its defense relationship with Turkey, as demonstrated most recently by the strong cooperation between both countries on Afghanistan.