Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Call With Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense Suh Wook

 Jan. 23, 2021

---

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Republic of Korea (ROK) Minister of National Defense Suh Wook today to reaffirm the ironclad U.S.-ROK Alliance and emphasize the importance of close cooperation between the two countries. 

During the call, Minister Suh congratulated Secretary Austin on his appointment, and Secretary Austin underscored the U.S. commitment to defend the ROK through both the U.S.-ROK combined defense posture and the U.S. extended deterrent. 

Secretary Austin and Minister Suh addressed a broad range of defense issues and exchanged views on the security environment on the Korean Peninsula and in the region.  Both sides noted the need to maintain the readiness of Alliance combined forces, affirmed the importance of maintaining the rules-based international order, and agreed to enhance cooperation on shared threats.

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Call With U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace

 Jan. 23, 2021

---

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone this morning with U.K. Secretary of State for Defense Ben Wallace and reaffirmed the importance of the special relationship between our two countries.  

The secretaries discussed views on confronting strategic issues of mutual interest, including the COVID-19 response, concerns from a rising China, threats from Russia, and ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Secretary Austin congratulated the U.K. for the recent announcement of its largest increase in defense spending in thirty years, noting the importance of that spending to our shared security and the collective security of the NATO Alliance.  

Secretary Austin also noted the significance of the recent Joint Declaration for the Carrier Strike Group 2021 deployment. The deployment will include U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft deployed aboard the U.K. aircraft carrier HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH for the first time, as well as the inclusion of U.S. Navy destroyer USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG-68) as a part of a combined carrier strike group. He noted the significance of this deployment to our bilateral ties and interoperability.

The Secretary expressed his appreciation for the U.K.’s commitment to our defense partnership and emphasized the U.S. commitment to the NATO Alliance.