Department of Defense Spokesperson Lt. Col. Devin T. Robinson provided the following statement:
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Hemispheric Affairs Melissa G. Dalton will depart for a trip to Ottawa, Canada this week to co-chair the 240th meeting of the U.S.-Canada Permanent Joint Board of Defense (PJBD). Founded in 1940, the PJBD is a critical forum for U.S.-Canada bilateral defense cooperation, which brings together key leaders to discuss bilateral defense issues, and overall defense priorities. In Ottawa, Assistant Secretary Dalton, the U.S. co-chair of the PJBD, and the Honorable John McKay, the Canadian co-chair, will bring together defense officials and experts from both countries from October 26 to 27 to review progress and establish benchmarks related to the bilateral defense agenda. The U.S. delegation to the PJBD will include Daniel P. Erikson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs; John Kreul, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense Integration; Brigadier General Frank L. Bradfield, III, the Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs (Western Hemisphere) in the Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Brigadier General Melissa Coburn, Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans, and Policy of United States Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command; and representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the United States Embassy in Canada.
Through discussions at this meeting, the United States and Canada will exchange information that will enhance defense cooperation efforts with one our closest allies.
Assistant Secretary Dalton's trip reaffirms the Department's deep commitment to our long-standing U.S.-Canada defense relationship.