The Republic of Finland and the United States co-hosted a Political-Military Consultation (PMC) meeting of senior defense officials from the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS on Dec. 14 in Helsinki, Finland. Finland Ministry of Defense Director General for Defense Policy Janne Kuusela and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict Christopher P. Maier gathered PMC defense officials to discuss progress in the Defeat-ISIS campaign and priorities for continued progress against ISIS globally.
PMC participants discussed the imperative of the enduring commitment to the Defeat-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria. PMC participants also discussed the near-term priority to increase humanitarian assistance and stabilization aid for areas liberated from ISIS in northeast Syria and Iraq, as well as the need to repatriate ISIS members, and displaced persons currently residing in camps in northeast Syria, to their countries and communities of origin.
Participants examined ways of deepening cooperation to address ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan in light of shared concerns over the threat the terrorist organization poses in Central and South Asia and across the globe.
The PMC also explored the growing ISIS threat in Africa and received briefings from Coalition partners about the situation on the ground and potential options for future collaboration.