Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis welcomed Slovenian Minister of Defense Andreja Katic to the Pentagon to reaffirm the strong defense relationship between the United States and Slovenia.
Secretary Mattis thanked Minister Katic for the leadership role that Slovenia has played in maintaining stability in the Balkans in the face of Russia’s malign influence. He praised the significant contributions Slovenia has made to global and coalition operations, amongst the highest in NATO by percentage of forces.
Secretary Mattis urged Minister Katic to impress upon the incoming government the need to meet the NATO Wales Summit Defense Spending Pledge by 2024.