Celeste Wallander, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, co-chaired the U.S.-Turkish High Level Defense Group (HLDG) meeting in the Pentagon on December 21. Building on recent conversations between President Biden and Turkish President Erdogan, the delegations discussed a wide range of functional and regional issues. This included defeating terrorism, security in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean, and the importance of the NATO Alliance. ASD Wallander, the U.S. lead for discussions, also highlighted cooperation on multiple regional issues and developing additional areas for increased partnership.
The two sides also discussed bilateral defense cooperation, our shared goal of increasing longstanding defense ties, and ASD Wallander reaffirmed the United States’ recognition of Turkiye’s military modernization needs in support of NATO. The delegations agreed to meet again in Ankara in the next eighteen months.