Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:
Today, Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis met with German Minister of Defense Ursula von der Leyen at the NATO Defense Ministerial to reaffirm the longstanding defense relationship between the United States and Germany.
The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, and the Secretary thanked the German Minister for her country’s recent increase to its contributions to Afghanistan. They agreed on the critical importance of NATO solidarity in the face of increasing threats.
Secretary Mattis thanked Minister von der Leyen for her strong leadership and acknowledged German efforts to increase defense spending while encouraging further defense investment.