Readout of the Second U.S.-Ecuador Defense Bilateral Working Group

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

On November 4-5, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Ms. Jana Nelson, hosted Ecuadorian Minister of Defense Gian Carlo Loffredo Rendon at the Pentagon for the 2024 U.S. - Ecuador Defense Bilateral Working Group (DBWG).

The U.S. delegation included representatives from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Staff, U.S. Southern Command, the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Department of State, and U.S. Embassy Quito.

They discussed the bilateral defense relationship, including key priorities such as countering the threats posed by transnational criminal organizations, strengthening security cooperation and institutional capacity building, and expanding information sharing.

The U.S.-Ecuador DBWG provides 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.