United States-Norway Statement for U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Meetings with Norwegian Chief of Defence

April 8, 2024

WASHINGTON, D.C. - United States-Norway Statement for U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Meetings with Norwegian Chief of Defence:

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., welcomed to the Pentagon today Chief of Defence of the Norwegian Armed Forces Gen. Eirik Kristoffersen.

Gen. Brown and Gen. Kristoffersen reflected on deepening the longstanding bilateral defense ties between the United States and Norway, and exchanged views on the security environment in Europe, the North Atlantic and Nordic integration into NATO. The two leaders pledged to continue standing firmly with Ukraine against Russia's indefensible and illegal aggression.

NATO is currently conducting a training event called Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024, which began in January and includes 90,000 service members from NATO countries. As the largest NATO exercise since the end of the Cold War, Exercise Steadfast Defender 2024 is demonstrating the alliance's readiness and ability to quickly stage forces across multiple geographical locations in Europe including Norway.

Gen. Kristoffersen also met other members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during his Pentagon visit. He attended office calls with Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric M. Smith, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, and Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen. Daniel Hokanson.

As co-founders of NATO, the United States and Norway are steadfast allies around the world.

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