Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III hosts German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht, for a meeting at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 30, 2022. (DoD Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Wheeler)
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
WASHINGTON DC – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin thanked Germany for boosting defense spending 2 percent amid the Ruissia-Ukraine conflict. Defense Secretary Austin met with German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht Wednesday to reaffirm the U.S.-German bilateral relationship. The two leaders discussed Russia’s “unprovoked and premeditated invasion” of Ukraine. Secretary Austin thanked Minister Lambrecht for German assistance to Ukraine, including lethal and non-lethal assistance to the Ukrainian armed forces. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, addressing Germany’s Parliament last month, vowed Germany would nearly double its military spending, including purchasing U.S.-made fighter planes for the first time in decades. Chancellor Scholz pledged €100 billion ($112.7 billion) of the 2022 budget for the armed forces to reach the 2% of gross domestic product spending on defense in line with NATO demands.
“Germany has shown tremendous leadership at this crucial moment. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s decision to bolster Germany’s armed forces is bold and historic. We applaud your decision to invest in your armed forces, pledging to spend more than 2% of your economic output on defense and establishing a special fund for the armed forces,”
-Secretary of Defense Austin Mar. 30, 2022
Six U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler aircraft out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington state are on their way to Europe and are expected to arrive today in Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greet German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht, for a meeting at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 30, 2022. (DoD Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Wheeler)
Pentagon Thanks Germany For Hosting U.S. Deployed Forces
Austin thanked Lambrecht for hosting U.S. deployed forces in recent months. “I’ve experienced Germany’s hospitality to U.S. personnel firsthand. And I’m very grateful for your support for our deployed troops,” he said.
“Russia isn’t just attacking Ukraine. It’s also attacking the principles at the core of trans-Atlantic security. So we’re proud to stand alongside our allies and partners in supporting Ukraine and its sovereignty and in imposing consequences on Russia for its aggression,” – U.S. Defense Secretary Austin
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greet German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht, for a meeting at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 30, 2022. (DoD Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Wheeler)
Defense Secretary Austin also thanked Minister Lambrecht for German support to bolster NATO’s Eastern Flank,
including through support to U.S. and NATO force deployments to and through Germany, German leadership as the framework nation for the NATO battlegroup in Lithuania, and Germany’s decision to deploy Patriot batteries to Slovakia in support of the NATO battlegroup there.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III greet German Federal Minister of Defense Christine Lambrecht, for a meeting at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 30, 2022. (DoD Photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Zachary Wheeler)
