Russian ministry of defense officials met with Pentagon officials via video conference Wednesday to discuss the US-Russia memorandum of understanding on flight safety over Syria, according to a statement by Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook. Both sides are “committed to adhering to the MOU on flight safety as long as each side is operating in Syria,” according to the press release, which also states the conversation was “constructive.” US and Russian defense officials have previously discussed flight safety in Syrian airspace, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said in March that the US must keep communication lines open with Russia even at the “worst of times.”
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.