Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout:
Secretary of Defense Ash Carter and German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen met today at the Pentagon to discuss U.S.- German defense cooperation on a range of global issues including the counter-ISIL fight, threats to NATO's eastern and southern flanks, and NATO's mission in Afghanistan.
Secretary Carter thanked Minister von der Leyen for Germany's contributions to the counter-ISIL campaign and they discussed their assessments of the current campaign on the heels of two recent counter-ISIL coalition ministerials in Paris and Brussels.
Secretary Carter and Minister von der Leyen also discussed Ukraine and Afghanistan. On Ukraine, they reiterated the need to maintain pressure on Russia to implement its Minsk commitments. On Afghanistan, Secretary Carter noted Germany's continued commitment to Afghanistan, and they discussed force posture and presence for Operation Resolute Support in 2017 and beyond.
Finally, they looked forward to the NATO Summit in Warsaw and discussed the importance of ensuring NATO unity going into the Warsaw meeting. Secretary Carter encouraged Germany to lead by example in maintaining upward trajectory in defense spending consistent with its Wales pledge.