Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met this morning with Colombian Minister of National Defense Diego Molano and reaffirmed the importance of the strong defense relationship between our two countries.
Secretary Austin congratulated Colombia on its recent designation by President Biden as a Major Non-NATO Ally and praised Colombia's progress as a NATO Global Partner. The leaders discussed their shared interest in deepening cooperation on strategic issues including countering illegal armed groups, cooperation on cyber, managing climate change and other transboundary threats, and ensuring that Colombian defense institutions uphold a strong commitment to democracy, the rule of law, and protection of human rights, including accountability for human rights abuses. The two leaders also discussed the forthcoming Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas to be held in July.
Secretary Austin expressed his appreciation for Colombia's many contributions to regional and international security, based on the strong defense partnership between the two countries.
