Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. Devin Robinson provided the following readout:
On July 18, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Mr. Daniel P. Erikson, co-chaired the 21st meeting of the U.S. – Chile Defense Consultative Committee (DCC) with the Chilean co-chair, Under Secretary of Defense Victor Barrueto, at the Pentagon.
Established in 1996, the DCC is the principal strategic forum for U.S. – Chile bilateral defense cooperation, which brings together key leaders to discuss bilateral defense issues and overall defense priorities. The co-chairs convened policy leaders from the U.S. Department of Defense and Chile's Ministry of Defense to discuss topics including global and regional security, Women, Peace, and Security, cyber, space, climate change, and science and technology. DASD Erikson and Under Secretary Barrueto signed the terms of reference for a new bilateral subcommittee focused on Women, Peace, and Security. Chile agreed to host the next round of the DCC in 2024. The co-chairs also re-affirmed the importance of the U.S. – Chile defense relationship and developed a robust workplan to deepen collaboration on areas of mutual defense and security interest, based on a foundation of shared respect for democracy and human rights.