Secretary of Defense Spokesperson Cmdr. Sarah Higgins provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met today with Norwegian Minister of Defense Søreide on the margins of the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany.
Secretary Mattis and Minister Søreide reaffirmed the close defense relationship between the United States and Norway and acknowledged how extensive military-to-military cooperation as NATO allies has resulted in effective combined operations on the battlefield. The secretary shared his long-time respect for Norway's highly trained armed forces and thanked the minister for Norway's commitment to international security, including significant contributions to Afghanistan, the counter-ISIS campaign, and Baltic Air Policing mission. The secretary thanked the minister for Norway's leadership on security in the Nordic-Baltic region. Both pledged to work closely in the coming months.