Readout of Secretary Carter’s Meeting with Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense for Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman

Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter met with Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman in Brussels today.

Secretary Carter and the deputy crown prince discussed their shared security challenges, including the effort to defeat ISIL. They discussed the importance of accelerating the Counter-ISIL campaign.‎ The secretary thanked the deputy crown prince for participating in today’s meeting of coalition defense ministers, and for Saudi Arabia’s decision to increase its military contributions especially the Kingdom’s offer to expand its role in the air campaign. The secretary also welcomed Saudi Arabia’s leadership in establishing an Islamic coalition to counter extremism. The two discussed ways the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition can complement the counter-ISIL coalition.

Secretary Carter underscored the U.S. commitment to the enduring defense partnership between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia‎.

Release No: NR-052-16
February 11, 2016