Readout of Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. Celeste Wallander's Travel to Libya and Malta

Department of Defense Spokesman Tom Crosson provided the following readout:

Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Dr. Celeste Wallander returned from travel after participating in bilateral meetings with several Libyan military and government officials this week.

Dr. Wallander, Chargé d'Affaires Jeremy Berndt, and Lieutenant General John Brennan, the Deputy Commander of the United States Africa Command, met with Libyan senior defense officials Sept. 23 to advance discussions on military cooperation between the U.S. and Libya.

In Tripoli, Dr. Wallander met with Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dabaiba and General Mohamed al-Haddad, Chief of the General Staff, Libyan Armed Forces. In Benghazi, the U.S. delegation met with Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, Supreme Commander of the Libyan National Army and Lieutenant General Saddam Haftar, Chief of Staff of Ground Forces of the LNA. These meetings centered on opportunities for increased military-to-military cooperation and how the DoD can contribute to the long-term Libyan goal of military unification. Libyan leaders stated priorities for military cooperation included increasing counterterrorism efforts, improving border security, and stemming smuggling and illegal migration through increased maritime domain awareness.

Dr. Wallander also traveled to Malta where she addressed a military-to-military exchange of Libyan leaders and participated in a bilateral meeting with the Maltese Minister of Home Affairs.