Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook provided the following readout:
Today Secretary of Defense Ash Carter hosted Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for a series of constructive meetings and briefings at the Pentagon. The Secretary thanked Deputy Crown Prince bin Salman for Saudi Arabia's close partnership and reaffirmed their strong relationship.
In a continuation of their April conversations in Riyadh on the margins of the U.S.-Gulf Cooperation Council Defense Ministerial, the two leaders discussed a wide range of security issues of interest to our two nations, including the Kingdom's efforts to upgrade its military capabilities, the fight against ISIL, and the situation in Yemen, especially the Saudi role in the recent successful operations aimed at Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula.
Secretary Carter was pleased to host the deputy crown prince and looks forward to continuing cooperation on countering extremist threats, the counter-ISIL campaign, countering Iran's destabilizing influence in the region, and other shared security concerns.