Department of Defense spokesperson Lt. Col. Martin Meiners provided the following readout:
Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Ely Ratner co-chaired the U.S.-New Zealand Defense Policy Dialogue (DPD) with New Zealand Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy Richard Schmidt today in Washington, D.C.
The officials discussed the development and implementation of the 2023 New Zealand Defense Policy and Strategy Statement and Future Force Design Principles, as well as the 2022 U.S. National Defense Strategy. Assistant Secretary Ratner and Deputy Secretary Schmidt exchanged views on the regional security environment, with a focus on the Pacific Islands region, and explored areas for further collaboration and security cooperation.