United States and Peru Resume Defense Bilateral Working Group to Discuss Key Defense Priorities

Pentagon Spokesman Lt. Col. Devin T. Robinson provided the following readout:

On September 6, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ms. Jana Nelson, co-chaired the 2024 U.S. - Peru Defense Bilateral Working Group (DBWG) with her Peruvian Co-Chair, Minister of Defense Walter Astudillo. The meeting took place at the Peruvian Army Headquarters in Lima, Peru. This was the first U.S. - Peru DBWG held since 2011.

The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), U.S. Southern Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Embassy Lima.

The co-chairs discussed key defense issues, such as bilateral cooperation, foreign military sales, cyber cooperation, port security, Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO) threats, and difficulties in the VRAEM and Putumayo region.

The U.S.-Peru Defense Bilateral Working Group has provided a strategic framework to guide the bilateral defense relationship, discuss security cooperation, and guide future cooperation. The co-chairs agreed to continue holding the DBWG on an annual basis to demonstrate the two nations' strong bilateral relationship and shared values.