US and Pakistan officials ended five days of consultation on May 5. Eric Edelman, the Pentagon’s policy chief, and retired Lt. Gen. Tariq Waseem Ghazi, Pakistan’s Secretary Defense, led the 17th annual meeting of the US and Pakistan defense consultative group. Issues ranged from training activities to procurement of US equipment and counter-terror efforts.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.