Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosted Norwegian Minister of Defence Bjørn Arild Gram at the Pentagon today.
The leaders discussed the strength of the bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Norway. The Secretary thanked Minister Gram for Norway's commitment of long-term assistance to develop Ukraine's capabilities, and the two exchanged views on ensuring continued military assistance to Ukraine both bilaterally and through the Ukraine Defense Contact Group and NATO.
The two officials discussed the conclusion of the recent Nordic Response exercise hosted by Norway, Sweden, and Finland, which is part of NATO's Steadfast Defender exercise. Minister Gram shared details about Norway's recently-released Long-Term Plan, that includes an historic increase in defense spending. Secretary Austin commended the announcement that Norway will reach two percent of Gross Domestic Product spending on defense this year.
The two officials also discussed opportunities to deepen and broaden bilateral defense cooperation, in light of the amendment to the Supplemental Defense Cooperation Agreement that includes additional agreed facilities and areas for U.S. access in Norway.
Lastly, both expressed agreement on the importance of ensuring the Indo-Pacific region remains free and open.