Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Tim Fraser, and his US counterpart General John Hyten
As this was his first visit to the UK in his current appointment, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General John Hyten was formally greeted by Admiral Fraser at the Ministry of Defence in London.
The two leaders discussed upcoming operational activity, next generation capabilities and how the two nations will look to deepen their cooperation to address the ever-changing threat environment.
The military leaders committed to strengthening their defence relationship by signing the Future Force Development Cooperation Charter. This forward-looking agreement will allow our two nations to work closer together and achieve optimum future force collaboration.
Admiral Fraser said:
"Today, we reaffirm our commitment to the UK-US defence co-operation. For over 100 years, we have worked together to build and maintain international peace and stability, based on the interests and values that we share.
"We continue to have military and civilian personnel stationed in each other's countries as part of our collective commitment to NATO, to ensure we are able to train and operate alongside each other when required.
"The strength of our combined efforts is demonstrated through the daily work of our military personnel working side by side around the world."
General Hyten said:
I set it as a priority to visit the United Kingdom early in my tenure because the strength of this relationship is critical for both our nations' security. Our alliance with the UK is one of the most successful in history. We share common goals of preventing conflict, and preserving peace and freedom for our people. By signing this agreement with our UK allies, we reaffirm our commitment to our long-standing relationship of mutual support and cooperation. Our effectiveness, security and stability are enhanced by working with our allies.
