Washington DC. 11 April 2019. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan met with Austrian Minister of Defense Mario Kunasek at the Pentagon to reaffirm the defense relationship between the United States and Austria.
The leaders discussed a broad range of defense issues, including efforts to address shared security challenges presented by China and Russia in central and southeast Europe, and Austria’s leadership role in stability and Euro-integration efforts for western Balkan countries. They agreed to continue working together to further modernize Austria’s armed forces, enhance training opportunities and cooperation between the U.S. and Austrian militaries, and increase contributions to European and regional security.
Secretary Shanahan thanked Minister Kunasek for Austrian support to European Union initiatives that improve military mobility across Europe, which further enhance collective security efforts and NATO’s ability to quickly respond to emerging threats.
