Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met today with the Chilean Minister of National Defense, Maya Fernandez, during the 15th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA), the Western Hemisphere's biennial premier hemispheric ministerial for strategic-level engagement with defense and security officials in the Americas. The meeting took place in Brasilia, Brazil.
During their meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their mutual commitment to the U.S.-Chile defense relationship and discussed efforts to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including in Women, Peace, and Security, support for Central America, science and technology, and space. Secretary Austin recognized Chile's leadership in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
Both leaders closed the meeting by reiterating their commitment to the security, stability, and prosperity of the Western Hemisphere and building an even more capable defense relationship based on a shared foundation of common interests and values.