Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper hosted Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Gantz at the Pentagon today. Secretary Esper expressed continued support for Israel's Qualitative Military Edge. The two leaders shared views about the security challenges in the Middle East, and reaffirmed the ironclad defense relationship between the United States and Israel.
Secretary Esper and Minister Gantz agreed that the normalization of relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain under the Abraham Accords represents a historic opportunity to strengthen regional security.