Deputy Secretary of Defense Spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson provided the following readout:
On Aug. 7, Deputy Secretary of Defense Bob Work met with President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger in Washington, D.C. on the heels of the U.S. Africa Leaders' Summit.
During their meeting, Work and the president discussed wide-ranging areas of U.S.-Niger collaboration and security cooperation. The two leaders also spoke about the summit's significance and their shared priorities for partnership. Work exchanged insights about the department's commitment to Africa's security and its people, and highlighted deepened U.S. engagements in the region.
The deputy secretary and president exchanged thoughts on Boko Haram, Al Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb and the broader security climate in northwest Africa.