Military

U.S. Department of Defense Press Operations News Release

Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout.

Oct. 25, 2017

Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis met today with Malaysian Minister of Defense Hishammuddin Tun Hussein on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) convened in Clark, the Philippines.

The secretary and Minister Hishammuddin exchanged views on regional security and emphasized the need for continued ASEAN centrality to address shared security challenges facing Southeast Asia. The two leaders discussed the importance of a free and open Indo-Asian Pacific that safeguards freedom of navigation through a rules-based international order.

Secretary Mattis and Minister Hishammuddin agreed on the importance of close counter terrorism cooperation in order to stem the threat posed from groups like ISIS and to address the threat posed by returning foreign fighters from the Middle East.

Secretary Mattis relayed his appreciation for the broad range of U.S.-Malaysia security cooperation and praised Malaysia's valuable contributions to regional security. They emphasized continued cooperation in maritime domain awareness and information sharing to address common threats to regional security.

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Releases/News-Release-View/Article/1353360/