WASHINGTON, June 3, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met today in Brussels with the defense ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.

Hagel and his Baltic nation counterparts discussed a number of common security concerns, Pentagon officials said, including recent actions by Russia in and along the Ukrainian border and the subsequent reassurance measures taken by the United States and NATO.

The secretary thanked the three nations for their continued participation in these reassurance measures, officials added.

WASHINGTON, June 4, 2014 – Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work discussed areas of United States-United Kingdom cooperation during a Pentagon meeting with a senior British defense official yesterday.

Work met with Philip Dunne, the British Defense Ministry’s minister for equipment, support and technology, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Courtney Hillson, a spokeswoman for Work, said in a statement summarizing the meeting.

WASHINGTON, June 3, 2014 – Ongoing ties with Turkey are vital to the Defense Department’s productivity and efficiency, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics said here yesterday.

In remarks at the 33rd Annual Conference on United States-Turkish Relations, Frank Kendall said strong relations with partners such as Turkey -- a country with a vibrant, healthy economy and developing aerospace and defense industrial sectors -- has mutual benefits, even as the specter of sequestration defense spending cuts looms in fiscal year 2016.

Responding to a request by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for U.S. assistance in the wake of increased violence in that country, the United States has accelerated delivery of weapons and ammunition to Iraq. 

The Security Assistance Command is playing a major role in supporting that effort by providing equipment and ammunition including 300 Hellfire missiles to Iraq through the Foreign Military Sales program. 

WASHINGTON, June 2, 2014 – A team of senior Defense Department leaders recently returned from two days of “productive meetings” with Ukrainian leadership in Kiev, Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters today.

Derek Chollet, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, led the team meeting in advance of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart and President Barack Obama’s upcoming visit with president-elect Petro Poroshenko in Warsaw, Poland, Warren said.

SINGAPORE, May 31, 2014 – Reaching out to new countries is part and parcel of President Barack Obama’s new foreign policy approach and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel reinforced that push, meeting today with the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army Lt. Gen. Wang Guanzhong.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a major annual forum for key leaders in the Asia-Pacific region to discuss security challenges and opportunities, said Pentagon officials.

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2014 – The Defense Department began fixed-wing intelligence flights late yesterday to assist the Nigerian government in finding more than 200 kidnapped young women, Defense Department spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren said here today.

The extremist group Boko Haram abducted the young women from the Government Secondary Boarding School in Chibok, Nigeria, on the night of April 14.

“As we’ve said previously, we’ll bring all our assets to bear to assist the Nigerian government,” Warren said.

WASHINGTON, May 13, 2014 – China’s chief of defense is touring American facilities today and will meet with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff tomorrow as part of the push to strengthen military-to-military ties between the countries.

Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey invited People’s Liberation Army Gen. Fang Fenghui for a five-day visit to the United States. Fang is the chief of the general staff of the largest military on Earth.

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2014 – Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel arrived here today to participate in a Gulf Cooperation Council defense ministerial conference.

The bulk of the meetings will take place tomorrow, but shortly after arriving here today, Hagel met with Saudi Vice Defense Minister Salman bin Sultan.

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 – Acting Deputy Defense Secretary Christine H. Fox met at the Pentagon today with Philippine Vice President Jejomar Binay to discuss enhancing bilateral defense ties and regional security issues.

James Swartout, a spokesman for Fox, said the acting deputy secretary congratulated Binay on the recent signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which deepens U.S. engagement with the Philippines. She also reiterated the U.S. commitment to helping the Philippines develop its maritime domain awareness and maritime security capabilities, he added.