Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and his Canadian counterpart, Minister of National Defence Anita Anand, spoke by phone today to reaffirm the importance of the bilateral defense partnership, and express their support for collective defense activities, and regional and global defense cooperation. Going forward, the two leaders agreed to continue close coordination on a range of bilateral and global issues, including hemispheric security concerns. Their dialogue will shape the agenda of the issues discussed at the United States-Canada Permanent Joint Board on Defense meetings taking place in Ottawa this week.