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December 12, 2019
Release

Readout of Meeting Between Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper and Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic Lubomir Metnar

Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper and Minister of Defense of the Czech Republic Lubomir Metnar met at the Pentagon December 12 where they acknowledged the strength of the decades-long U.S. and Czech Republic defense relationship.

Secretary Esper commended the Czech Republic for its contributions in Afghanistan, the D-ISIS coalition, and enhanced Forward Presence in Latvia and Lithuania.

The Secretary also expressed appreciation for the steps the Czech Republic has taken toward meeting the 2 percent defense spending commitments, noting they have increased defense spending by about 13 percent annually since 2017.

Following the meeting, Secretary Esper and Minister Metnar conducted a ceremonial signing for 12 U.S. helicopters -- a testament to the considerable gains the Czech Republic has made over the past 30 years in modernizing its armed forces and increasing NATO interoperability.

Finally, the Secretary congratulated the Czech Republic as it celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution and fall of Communism on November 17, 1989 and twenty years since the Czech Republic joined NATO. Together the leaders affirmed the importance of continuing to enhance our defense partnership and increase interoperability and readiness in order to counter malign influence from Russia and China, including in securing critical 5G infrastructure.

https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Releases/Release/Article/2039440/