06/15/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/16/2026 18:06
Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell provided the following readout:
On June 15, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had a productive bilateral meeting at the Pentagon with Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa to discuss U.S. national security interests and our countries' defense cooperation. Secretary Hegseth made clear that the Western Hemisphere is a top priority for the President and the Department of War. The Secretary praised Ecuador's commitment to bring the fight to narcoterrorists. The discussion also included ways to further mutual defense priorities and regional security issues. Both the Secretary and President Noboa committed to increasing and building upon existing bilateral cooperation between our nations' militaries.