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US State Department Updates & News
US State Dept | News & Updates
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US Secretary of State heads to Russia for talks with Putin and Lavrov
Sunday, May 12, 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week. Pompeo’s visit to Russia will take place in a time of discord between the two countries on a number of critical issues, including the situation in Venezuela and Iran as well as Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections.
Pompeo left for Moscow on Sunday. This will be his first visit to Russia as the leading representative of American diplomacy.
Top US officials, including Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence, accuse Russia of countering the efforts of Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido, the democratically elected opposition leader, to overthrow regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The United States accuses Russia of using Venezuela to try and gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
“We are concerned by Russian actions in Venezuela and believe that supporting Maduro is a lost cause. Therefore, we will continue to support the Venezuelan people, and this will be one of the topics for discussion,” said a senior State Department official the other day.
Pompeo will arrive in Russia on Monday. The same date he will meet with American diplomats at the US embassy in Moscow and with leaders of the American business community. He will also lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in memory of those who fought against Nazism.
On Tuesday, he will travel to Sochi where he will hold talks with Putin and Lavrov.
Pompeo’s visit will take place a few weeks before the G20 Summit in Japan’s Osaka which US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend.
“An improved relationship with Russia is in our interests,” the State Department spokesman said. “When a concern arises, we will discuss it directly, overcoming differences and finding areas in which we can cooperate.”
The official declined to say whether Trump and Putin plan to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.
The State Department announced that Pompeo is expected to raise the issue of Americans in Russian custody, including former marine Paul Whelan and founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey.
Whelan was charged with espionage, a charge he rejects. He will remain under arrest until May 28 while investigators continue to examine his case.
Calvey was arrested in February and is awaiting trial on fraud charges, which he denies.
“The administration makes it a top priority to ensure the safety and well-being of US citizens abroad. We are ready to provide the necessary consular assistance in cases of American citizens being detained,” said a senior State Department official.
uawire.org
Sunday, May 12, 2019
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week. Pompeo’s visit to Russia will take place in a time of discord between the two countries on a number of critical issues, including the situation in Venezuela and Iran as well as Russia's interference in the 2016 US elections.
Pompeo left for Moscow on Sunday. This will be his first visit to Russia as the leading representative of American diplomacy.
Top US officials, including Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence, accuse Russia of countering the efforts of Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido, the democratically elected opposition leader, to overthrow regime of Nicolás Maduro.
The United States accuses Russia of using Venezuela to try and gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
“We are concerned by Russian actions in Venezuela and believe that supporting Maduro is a lost cause. Therefore, we will continue to support the Venezuelan people, and this will be one of the topics for discussion,” said a senior State Department official the other day.
Pompeo will arrive in Russia on Monday. The same date he will meet with American diplomats at the US embassy in Moscow and with leaders of the American business community. He will also lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in memory of those who fought against Nazism.
On Tuesday, he will travel to Sochi where he will hold talks with Putin and Lavrov.
Pompeo’s visit will take place a few weeks before the G20 Summit in Japan’s Osaka which US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend.
“An improved relationship with Russia is in our interests,” the State Department spokesman said. “When a concern arises, we will discuss it directly, overcoming differences and finding areas in which we can cooperate.”
The official declined to say whether Trump and Putin plan to meet on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.
The State Department announced that Pompeo is expected to raise the issue of Americans in Russian custody, including former marine Paul Whelan and founder of the Baring Vostok investment fund Michael Calvey.
Whelan was charged with espionage, a charge he rejects. He will remain under arrest until May 28 while investigators continue to examine his case.
Calvey was arrested in February and is awaiting trial on fraud charges, which he denies.
“The administration makes it a top priority to ensure the safety and well-being of US citizens abroad. We are ready to provide the necessary consular assistance in cases of American citizens being detained,” said a senior State Department official.
US Secretary of State heads to Russia for talks with Putin and Lavrov
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week. Pompeo’s visit to Russia will take place in a time of discord between the two countries on a number of critical issues, including the situation in Venezuela and...
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US Embassy in Iraq advises citizens against all travel amid tensions with Iran
It also told Americans in Iraq to be cautious and keep a low profile
May 13, 2019
A member of Iraqi federal police forces stands guard infront of a Mosque in Baghdad. EPA
The US Embassy in Iraq has issued a warning to its citizens advising them against traveling to the country amid heightened tensions in the region.
The warning advised US citizens in the country to “remain vigilant” and to “keep a low profile”.
The recent incident where four four cargo vessels were subjected to "sabotage operations" off the coast of Fujairah, has further intensified response from both residents and officials.
The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the attack and stressed the need for the international community to bear the responsibility of maritime trade around the world.
Dr Al Zayani echoed regional calls for more burden sharing on maritime safety by international organisations responsible for naval trade security to help prevent more attacks.
The GCC is highly dependent on maritime trade networks to export oil, a trade that accounts for more than 90 per cent of the Arabian Gulf's economies.
Any disruption to the trade networks have sparked fears of cutting off the major source of revenue for oil producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Fujairah port is located close to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic strait that separates Oman’s coast of Musandam from Iran by less than 60 kilometres. The narrow strait sees some 30 per cent of the world’s oil pass through every day.
"Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger," Dr Al Zayani said.
Iran"s foreign ministry spokesperson said the attacks were “alarming and regrettable” according to a statement issued on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said the attacks will disrupt shipping safety and “he warned against plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security”.
The statement ended with Mr Mousavi also calling on “the vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements”.
It is still unclear who was behind the attacks but the US issued a warning saying that “Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels”.
The UAE is currently conducting an investigation into the “sabotage”.
www.thenational.ae
It also told Americans in Iraq to be cautious and keep a low profile
May 13, 2019
The US Embassy in Iraq has issued a warning to its citizens advising them against traveling to the country amid heightened tensions in the region.
The warning advised US citizens in the country to “remain vigilant” and to “keep a low profile”.
The recent incident where four four cargo vessels were subjected to "sabotage operations" off the coast of Fujairah, has further intensified response from both residents and officials.
The Bahraini Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the attack and stressed the need for the international community to bear the responsibility of maritime trade around the world.
Dr Al Zayani echoed regional calls for more burden sharing on maritime safety by international organisations responsible for naval trade security to help prevent more attacks.
The GCC is highly dependent on maritime trade networks to export oil, a trade that accounts for more than 90 per cent of the Arabian Gulf's economies.
Any disruption to the trade networks have sparked fears of cutting off the major source of revenue for oil producers Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Fujairah port is located close to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic strait that separates Oman’s coast of Musandam from Iran by less than 60 kilometres. The narrow strait sees some 30 per cent of the world’s oil pass through every day.
"Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger," Dr Al Zayani said.
Iran"s foreign ministry spokesperson said the attacks were “alarming and regrettable” according to a statement issued on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
He said the attacks will disrupt shipping safety and “he warned against plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security”.
The statement ended with Mr Mousavi also calling on “the vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements”.
It is still unclear who was behind the attacks but the US issued a warning saying that “Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels”.
The UAE is currently conducting an investigation into the “sabotage”.
US Embassy in Iraq advises citizens against all travel amid tensions with Iran | The National
It also told Americans in Iraq to be cautious and keep a low profile
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Mike Pompeo in Brussels for Iran talks as tensions escalate
Taylor Heyman and Jamie Prentis
May 13, 2019
The US deployed a Patriot missile defence system to the Arabian Gulf at the weekend
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. AP
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held urgent talks with his European counterparts in Brussels on Monday to shore up allied backing for Washington as international tensions escalate over Iran.
Mr Pompeo entered bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from France, Germany and the UK who were assembled in Brussels to discuss Iran’s recent threat to breach commitments of the 2015 nuclear deal. America's chief diplomat diverted to the European capital after rescheduling the first day of a planned trip to Russia.
The three ministers and the EU’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini were holding a discussion on the response to Iran’s announcement on Wednesday of a 60-day deadline for its plan abandon commitments to the agreement.
Mr Pompeo’s trip to Brussels came after the UAE said it was investigating an apparent "sabotage attack" on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the coast of Fujairah. Also at the weekend the US announced the return of a Patriot missile defence system to the Arabian Gulf, citing an unspecified threat to US forces in the region. Last week it deployed strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged Iranian threats.
"We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident with an escalation that is unintended on either side but ends with some kind of conflict," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
"I think what we need is a period of calm, to make sure everyone understands what the other side is thinking and most of all we must make sure we don't end up putting Iran back on the path to renuclearisation, because if Iran becomes a nuclear power its neighbours are likely to want to become nuclear powers.
"This is already the most unstable region in the world and it would be a massive step in the wrong direction.
Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, said he had warned of the risks of confrontation in his meeting with Mr Pompeo. "We are concerned about the development and the tensions in the region, that we do not want there to be a military escalation," he said.
Ms Mogherini indicated the EU remained supportive of the 2015 nuclear deal. “We will continue to support it as much as we can with all our instruments and all our political will,” she said.
Analysts said the incident had also concentrated minds on the risks in the region.
Mr Pompeo's Brussels visit was seen as an attempt to push the EU to align with US interests but there remains resistance to the US demands on the deal and the re-imposition of sanctions.
"The Trump administration is eager to show that Europe too is growing weary of the Iran nuclear deal. Pompeo’s visit is intended to signal to the Iranians that Europe is growing more sympathetic to US concerns over Iran," Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of Bourse & Bazaar, a commentary site, told The National.
"But what Pompeo fails to appreciate is that however weary Europe might be of defending the JCPOA, they are even more exasperated about dealing with a Trump administration that keeps lurching from one diplomatic crisis to another.
"The direction of Trump’s Iran policy itself has also sown doubt in Europe as to Pompeo’s authority on foreign policy - in recent weeks he has been repeatedly outmanoeuvred by national security adviser John Bolton," he added.
The European signatories said they regretted the decision by the US to reimpose sanctions on Iran while Mr Trump said that the sanctions “dramatically strengthened our national security” before deriding the nuclear deal as “horrible” and “one-sided”.
Mr Trump has also offered Iran direct talks, saying its leaders should “call me” and suggesting that America would help to revive the country’s economy if it did not stockpile nuclear weapons.
While Mr Pompeo cancelled the Moscow leg of his Russia, he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as planned on Tuesday, a State Department official said.
Against this backdrop, any suggested implication of Iran in the incident involving the tankers off Fujairah would heap pressure on Europe to support US efforts in the region. Crude oil prices rose as much as 2 per cent.
“There are plenty of reasons to believe Iran is responsible. After all, its leaders have said that if Iran cannot export oil, neither will its competitors in the Gulf. And just last week intelligence surfaced that Iran had empowered proxies to conduct attacks. But it cannot be ruled out that attacks were not directly ordered by Tehran,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, associate fellow, International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Other analysts said judgement would be withheld until the ongoing investigation was conclusive.
“The attack is a dramatic escalation of the long standing tensions between Iran and the Gulf states, most notably Saudi Arabia. Investigations are on going and unless a third party is identified as the culprit, Iran will be seen as the ones behind the attack. If that proves to be the case, the fallout could range from greater political isolation for Iran, through to a head to head conflict," said Ghanem Nuseibeh, the founder of Cornerstone Global Associates. "Europe will find it hard to argue for a softening of the stance with Iran in as far as the current sanctions are concerned. The international community may put strong demands from Iran as a result of this."
In the 2015 agreement, Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear ambitions and refrain from developing ballistic missiles in return for a lifting of sanctions. The US withdrew from the accord last year, prompting European efforts to hold the bargain together.
Mr Pompeo has previously been critical of the EU-backed launch of INSTEX, a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ to enable EU nations and Iran to trade essential goods like food and medicine.
The EU ministers said they remain committed to trade with Tehran if it upheld its commitments in the nuclear deal but there are limits to how much they can offer Iran.
Johannes Hahn, a European commissioner, indicated businesses were voting with their feet. "We have created the conditions for European companies to do business with Iran, but nevertheless many companies are concerned that if they do business with Iran, there will be consequences for their activities in the United States, that’s why they are holding back," he said. “I cannot force a private company to do business in Iran."
www.thenational.ae
Taylor Heyman and Jamie Prentis
May 13, 2019
The US deployed a Patriot missile defence system to the Arabian Gulf at the weekend
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held urgent talks with his European counterparts in Brussels on Monday to shore up allied backing for Washington as international tensions escalate over Iran.
Mr Pompeo entered bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from France, Germany and the UK who were assembled in Brussels to discuss Iran’s recent threat to breach commitments of the 2015 nuclear deal. America's chief diplomat diverted to the European capital after rescheduling the first day of a planned trip to Russia.
The three ministers and the EU’s top diplomat Federica Mogherini were holding a discussion on the response to Iran’s announcement on Wednesday of a 60-day deadline for its plan abandon commitments to the agreement.
Mr Pompeo’s trip to Brussels came after the UAE said it was investigating an apparent "sabotage attack" on four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, off the coast of Fujairah. Also at the weekend the US announced the return of a Patriot missile defence system to the Arabian Gulf, citing an unspecified threat to US forces in the region. Last week it deployed strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged Iranian threats.
"We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident with an escalation that is unintended on either side but ends with some kind of conflict," British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
"I think what we need is a period of calm, to make sure everyone understands what the other side is thinking and most of all we must make sure we don't end up putting Iran back on the path to renuclearisation, because if Iran becomes a nuclear power its neighbours are likely to want to become nuclear powers.
"This is already the most unstable region in the world and it would be a massive step in the wrong direction.
Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, said he had warned of the risks of confrontation in his meeting with Mr Pompeo. "We are concerned about the development and the tensions in the region, that we do not want there to be a military escalation," he said.
Ms Mogherini indicated the EU remained supportive of the 2015 nuclear deal. “We will continue to support it as much as we can with all our instruments and all our political will,” she said.
Analysts said the incident had also concentrated minds on the risks in the region.
Mr Pompeo's Brussels visit was seen as an attempt to push the EU to align with US interests but there remains resistance to the US demands on the deal and the re-imposition of sanctions.
"The Trump administration is eager to show that Europe too is growing weary of the Iran nuclear deal. Pompeo’s visit is intended to signal to the Iranians that Europe is growing more sympathetic to US concerns over Iran," Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of Bourse & Bazaar, a commentary site, told The National.
"But what Pompeo fails to appreciate is that however weary Europe might be of defending the JCPOA, they are even more exasperated about dealing with a Trump administration that keeps lurching from one diplomatic crisis to another.
"The direction of Trump’s Iran policy itself has also sown doubt in Europe as to Pompeo’s authority on foreign policy - in recent weeks he has been repeatedly outmanoeuvred by national security adviser John Bolton," he added.
The European signatories said they regretted the decision by the US to reimpose sanctions on Iran while Mr Trump said that the sanctions “dramatically strengthened our national security” before deriding the nuclear deal as “horrible” and “one-sided”.
Mr Trump has also offered Iran direct talks, saying its leaders should “call me” and suggesting that America would help to revive the country’s economy if it did not stockpile nuclear weapons.
While Mr Pompeo cancelled the Moscow leg of his Russia, he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi as planned on Tuesday, a State Department official said.
Against this backdrop, any suggested implication of Iran in the incident involving the tankers off Fujairah would heap pressure on Europe to support US efforts in the region. Crude oil prices rose as much as 2 per cent.
“There are plenty of reasons to believe Iran is responsible. After all, its leaders have said that if Iran cannot export oil, neither will its competitors in the Gulf. And just last week intelligence surfaced that Iran had empowered proxies to conduct attacks. But it cannot be ruled out that attacks were not directly ordered by Tehran,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, associate fellow, International Institute of Strategic Studies.
Other analysts said judgement would be withheld until the ongoing investigation was conclusive.
“The attack is a dramatic escalation of the long standing tensions between Iran and the Gulf states, most notably Saudi Arabia. Investigations are on going and unless a third party is identified as the culprit, Iran will be seen as the ones behind the attack. If that proves to be the case, the fallout could range from greater political isolation for Iran, through to a head to head conflict," said Ghanem Nuseibeh, the founder of Cornerstone Global Associates. "Europe will find it hard to argue for a softening of the stance with Iran in as far as the current sanctions are concerned. The international community may put strong demands from Iran as a result of this."
In the 2015 agreement, Iran agreed to curtail its nuclear ambitions and refrain from developing ballistic missiles in return for a lifting of sanctions. The US withdrew from the accord last year, prompting European efforts to hold the bargain together.
Mr Pompeo has previously been critical of the EU-backed launch of INSTEX, a ‘Special Purpose Vehicle’ to enable EU nations and Iran to trade essential goods like food and medicine.
The EU ministers said they remain committed to trade with Tehran if it upheld its commitments in the nuclear deal but there are limits to how much they can offer Iran.
Johannes Hahn, a European commissioner, indicated businesses were voting with their feet. "We have created the conditions for European companies to do business with Iran, but nevertheless many companies are concerned that if they do business with Iran, there will be consequences for their activities in the United States, that’s why they are holding back," he said. “I cannot force a private company to do business in Iran."
Donald Trump says Iran will 'suffer greatly' if it takes military action
The US sent a Patriot missile defence system to the Arabian Gulf at the weekend
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Pompeo shares details on 'escalating' Iran threats in Brussels: U.S. State Department
May 13, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on “escalating” threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said.
“Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,” Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo’s planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Pompeo canceled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi.
“The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,” Hook said. “We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.”
Hook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Asked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.”
Asked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.
Saudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
The UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory.
Reporting by Makini Brice and David Brunnstrom; Editing by David Alexander and Jeffrey Benkoe
www.reuters.com
May 13, 2019
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on “escalating” threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said.
“Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,” Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo’s planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Pompeo canceled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi.
“The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,” Hook said. “We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.”
Hook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.
Asked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.”
Asked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.
Saudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.
The UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory.
Reporting by Makini Brice and David Brunnstrom; Editing by David Alexander and Jeffrey Benkoe
Pompeo shares details on 'escalating' Iran threats in Brussels: U.S. State Department
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on "escalating" threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said.
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Pompeo tells Russia: we're committed to improving ties
May 14, 2019
MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is committed to improving relations with Russia, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday during a visit to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Pompeo told Lavrov that the two countries may not agree on everything, but there was room for cooperation, particularly on counter-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation.
Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Peter Graff
www.reuters.com
May 14, 2019
MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump is committed to improving relations with Russia, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday during a visit to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Pompeo told Lavrov that the two countries may not agree on everything, but there was room for cooperation, particularly on counter-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation.
Reporting by Darya Korsunskaya; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Peter Graff
Pompeo tells Russia: we're committed to improving ties
U.S. President Donald Trump is committed to improving relations with Russia, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday during a visit to the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.
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Pompeo threatens Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov with new sanctions
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 12:00:03 PM
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who for the first time traveled in this capacity to Sochi to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, did not come empty-handed.
After publicly announcing his desire to “improve relations with Russia”, “find common ground” and reach an agreement on Venezuela, Pompeo threatened the Russian leaders with new sanctions.
A new sanction bill was put forward in the US House of Representatives on 10 May, only two days after Pompeo’s intention to visit Russia was announced. The bill will be considered by the Committee on Financial Services when the outcome of the negotiations in Sochi becomes clear. Its text has been published on the official Congress website.
The new bill is not too different to its predecessors, which have been mired down by bureaucratic red tape. It proposes the immediate and unconditional introduction of new sanctions on Russian government debt, including securities related to the Russian Finance Ministry, National Wealth Fund, the Bank of Russia and other organizations linked to the government.
Furthermore, it would have the US Treasury Department make it mandatory for all American legal entities to disclose whether they have links to or shares in any of the six largest Russian state banks: Sberbank, VTB, Rosselkhozbank, Gazprombank, VEB or Promsvyazbank.
The second phase of sanctions would be imposed if Russia is found to have interfered in the 2020 US presidential elections.
If Russia is found to have meddled, at least one of the 6 state banks would be blacklisted, banned from having a correspondent account in the US, and thereby banned from performing dollar transactions. In addition, a ban would be imposed on any investments larger than $5 million in Russian energy projects outside of Russia (e.g. gas pipelines).
“I explained to Mr. Lavrov that interference in a US election campaign is unacceptable, and if this happens in 2020, relations between us will become even worse,” Pompeo said after the meeting.
“We also hope that Russia will stop supporting the Maduro regime, so that the suffering of the Venezuelan people can end,” the US Secretary of State added.
A third requirement is that the Kremlin “extend a hand” to the Ukrainian government to find a solution to the Donbas crisis, and release the captured Ukrainian sailors.
Lavrov claims to have sent Donald Trump an “aide-memoire” through Pompeo with suggestions on how to improve bilateral relations.
“We agreed on the importance of restoring communication channels. Recently these channels have been frozen, not least due to the wave of baseless accusations against us of attempting to influence the outcome of American elections and the existence of a certain collusion between us and high-ranking officials in the current US administration,” Lavrov noted.
“Naturally, we listed to what Trump said about expecting to meet with President Putin,” the Russian Foreign Minister continued, “including as part of their involvement in the G20 summit in Osaka. If we receive such an offer, we will certainly respond positively to it. We spoke about this today with Michael Pompeo.”
uawire.org
Wednesday, May 15, 2019 12:00:03 PM
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who for the first time traveled in this capacity to Sochi to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, did not come empty-handed.
After publicly announcing his desire to “improve relations with Russia”, “find common ground” and reach an agreement on Venezuela, Pompeo threatened the Russian leaders with new sanctions.
A new sanction bill was put forward in the US House of Representatives on 10 May, only two days after Pompeo’s intention to visit Russia was announced. The bill will be considered by the Committee on Financial Services when the outcome of the negotiations in Sochi becomes clear. Its text has been published on the official Congress website.
The new bill is not too different to its predecessors, which have been mired down by bureaucratic red tape. It proposes the immediate and unconditional introduction of new sanctions on Russian government debt, including securities related to the Russian Finance Ministry, National Wealth Fund, the Bank of Russia and other organizations linked to the government.
Furthermore, it would have the US Treasury Department make it mandatory for all American legal entities to disclose whether they have links to or shares in any of the six largest Russian state banks: Sberbank, VTB, Rosselkhozbank, Gazprombank, VEB or Promsvyazbank.
The second phase of sanctions would be imposed if Russia is found to have interfered in the 2020 US presidential elections.
If Russia is found to have meddled, at least one of the 6 state banks would be blacklisted, banned from having a correspondent account in the US, and thereby banned from performing dollar transactions. In addition, a ban would be imposed on any investments larger than $5 million in Russian energy projects outside of Russia (e.g. gas pipelines).
“I explained to Mr. Lavrov that interference in a US election campaign is unacceptable, and if this happens in 2020, relations between us will become even worse,” Pompeo said after the meeting.
“We also hope that Russia will stop supporting the Maduro regime, so that the suffering of the Venezuelan people can end,” the US Secretary of State added.
A third requirement is that the Kremlin “extend a hand” to the Ukrainian government to find a solution to the Donbas crisis, and release the captured Ukrainian sailors.
Lavrov claims to have sent Donald Trump an “aide-memoire” through Pompeo with suggestions on how to improve bilateral relations.
“We agreed on the importance of restoring communication channels. Recently these channels have been frozen, not least due to the wave of baseless accusations against us of attempting to influence the outcome of American elections and the existence of a certain collusion between us and high-ranking officials in the current US administration,” Lavrov noted.
“Naturally, we listed to what Trump said about expecting to meet with President Putin,” the Russian Foreign Minister continued, “including as part of their involvement in the G20 summit in Osaka. If we receive such an offer, we will certainly respond positively to it. We spoke about this today with Michael Pompeo.”
Pompeo threatens Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov with new sanctions
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who for the first time traveled in this capacity to Sochi to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin, did not come empty-handed. After publicly announcing his desire to “improve relations with Russia”, “find common ground”...
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State Department orders Chinese diplomats to report official meetings
Oct. 17, 2019
By Darryl Coote
Starting Wednesday, the State Department is requiring Chinese diplomats in the United States to report their official meetings to authorities in advance. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The United States is now requiring Chinese diplomats to notify the State Department in advance of holding official meetings with local and state officials as well as academic and research institutes, a state department official said.
Starting Wednesday, all foreign Chinese missions in the United States will be subjected to this rule change in order to make the conditions under which they work in the United States more closely mirror those U.S. diplomates face in the Asian nation.
What we're trying to accomplish here is just to ... get closer to a reciprocal situation, hopefully with the desired end effect of having the Chinese government provide greater access to our diplomats in China," a State Department official told reporters Wednesday. "Until that happens, we are going to take some actions that will, like I said, go some ways toward leveling the playing field."
The onus is upon the Chinese official to notify the State Department of the meeting and not on the U.S. counterpart, he said, emphasizing that they will not have to "take any actions whatsoever."
Ask what the punishment will be for those diplomats who fail to disclose their meetings, a second State Department official said the agency expects all will comply with the new rules and if anyone does not, "we will address that at that time."
The officials said the Chinese diplomats do not need the department's permission, only to notify them of the meetings.
"Our goal is to get the Chinese authorities to allow our diplomats in China to engage with provincial and local leaders, Chinese universities and other educational and research institutes freely, the same way that the Chinese diplomats are able to do here," the official said.
he Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected the claim Beijing requires U.S. diplomats to report meetings to authorities and accused the State Department of violating the Vienna Convention, which sets out the rules signatory countries abide by in establishing international relations, for enforcing the new restriction.
"So far, the Chinese side does not have similar requirements on American diplomats and consular officers in China," the embassy said via Twitter.
Compared to China, the United States has "a far greater number" of diplomats in China than China has in the United States, it said.
The State Department officials said they have filed complaints with China through formal channels for several years now concerning diplomatic access.
China was notified of the rule change last week and the State Department has already been informed of one meeting, the officials said.
"As a matter of policy, we have never done anything to limit their access to stakeholders here in the United States, and we continue to do that," the official said. "We're, again, only seeking notification."
Oct. 17, 2019
By Darryl Coote
Starting Wednesday, the State Department is requiring Chinese diplomats in the United States to report their official meetings to authorities in advance. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo
Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The United States is now requiring Chinese diplomats to notify the State Department in advance of holding official meetings with local and state officials as well as academic and research institutes, a state department official said.
Starting Wednesday, all foreign Chinese missions in the United States will be subjected to this rule change in order to make the conditions under which they work in the United States more closely mirror those U.S. diplomates face in the Asian nation.
What we're trying to accomplish here is just to ... get closer to a reciprocal situation, hopefully with the desired end effect of having the Chinese government provide greater access to our diplomats in China," a State Department official told reporters Wednesday. "Until that happens, we are going to take some actions that will, like I said, go some ways toward leveling the playing field."
The onus is upon the Chinese official to notify the State Department of the meeting and not on the U.S. counterpart, he said, emphasizing that they will not have to "take any actions whatsoever."
Ask what the punishment will be for those diplomats who fail to disclose their meetings, a second State Department official said the agency expects all will comply with the new rules and if anyone does not, "we will address that at that time."
The officials said the Chinese diplomats do not need the department's permission, only to notify them of the meetings.
"Our goal is to get the Chinese authorities to allow our diplomats in China to engage with provincial and local leaders, Chinese universities and other educational and research institutes freely, the same way that the Chinese diplomats are able to do here," the official said.
he Chinese Embassy in Washington rejected the claim Beijing requires U.S. diplomats to report meetings to authorities and accused the State Department of violating the Vienna Convention, which sets out the rules signatory countries abide by in establishing international relations, for enforcing the new restriction.
"So far, the Chinese side does not have similar requirements on American diplomats and consular officers in China," the embassy said via Twitter.
Compared to China, the United States has "a far greater number" of diplomats in China than China has in the United States, it said.
The State Department officials said they have filed complaints with China through formal channels for several years now concerning diplomatic access.
China was notified of the rule change last week and the State Department has already been informed of one meeting, the officials said.
"As a matter of policy, we have never done anything to limit their access to stakeholders here in the United States, and we continue to do that," the official said. "We're, again, only seeking notification."
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- Messages
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Trump's Anti-China Rhetoric Aimed at Boosting US Leverage
By Associated Press
May 05, 2020
FILE - President Donald Trump speaks about the coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, April 22, 2020.
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president's own response, tarnish China's global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition.
President Donald Trump has vowed to penalize China for what U.S. officials have increasingly described as a pattern of deceit that denied the world precious time to prepare for the pandemic. The opening salvo isn't in the form of tariffs or sanctions but in a one-sided accounting of China's behavior that could yank the Chinese lower on the global reputation meter.
The State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House have all launched public efforts in recent days to lay bare what they say is clear evidence that China tried to mask the scale of the outbreak and then refused to provide critical access to U.S. and global scientists that could have saved lives. More than 250,000 people have died globally from COVID-19, including more than 68,000 in the U.S.
The Trump administration, a senior administration official says, is trying to convince the world that China isn't playing by the same rules as everyone else, and that may be the biggest punishment for an intensely proud emerging superpower. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
To that end, the administration has pushed its China criticism beyond the bounds of established evidence.
Trump and allies repeat and express confidence in an unsubstantiated theory linking the origin of the outbreak to a possible accident at a Chinese virology laboratory. U.S. officials say they are still exploring the subject and describe the evidence as purely circumstantial. But Trump, aides say, has embraced the notion to further highlight China's lack of transparency.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that there is "enormous evidence" that the virus began in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The institute, which is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is about 8 miles, or 13 kilometers, from a market that is considered a possible source for the virus. It has done groundbreaking research tracing the likely origins of the SARS virus, finding new bat viruses and discovering how they could jump to people.
Pompeo said China has denied the U.S. and World Health Organization access to the lab. But Trump says he has seen information that gives him a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan institute is the origin of the virus. Asked why he has such confidence, Trump said: "I can't tell you that. I'm not allowed to tell you that."
FILE - An aerial view shows the P4 laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in Wuhan, China, April 17, 2020.
Health officials are dubious.
"From our perspective, this remains speculative," WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan says of the lab theory. "But like any evidence-based organization, we would be very willing to receive any information that purports to the origin of the virus."
Trump's ouster of more than a handful of top intelligence officials has given him an additional credibility problem when it comes to the administration's pronouncements based on intelligence.
"These purges have already, I fear, politicized the intelligence community's work in key ways," said Mike Morell, a former acting CIA director under President Barack Obama who now hosts the "Intelligence Matters" podcast. One of our institutions critical to the pursuit of the truth has a large crack in it."
China strongly rejects Trump's version of events.
On Monday, China's official Global Times newspaper said Pompeo was making "groundless accusations" against Beijing by suggesting the coronavirus was released from a Chinese laboratory.
The populist tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily said the claims were a politically motivated attempt to preserve Trump's presidency and divert attention from the U.S. administration's own failures in dealing with the outbreak.
While Trump's and Pompeo's critical statements have been at the forefront of the administration's anti-China rhetoric, U.S. government agencies, including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, have been compiling often publicly available information to try to support the allegations.
DHS documents, obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday and Monday, accuse the Chinese government of intentionally downplaying the scope and severity of the spread of the virus in order to buy up international stocks of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies needed to combat the disease.
Although any country might be expected to purchase large quantities of materials necessary to combat a major threat to public health, the administration has sought to portray China's actions as secret, irresponsible and dangerous for the rest of the world.
One such document, drawing from open source material, emphasizes reports about the disappearance of Chinese doctors who raised early alarms about the virus and the response, the Chinese government's alleged suppression and destruction of virus samples and closure of relevant laboratories.
It also reports on China's early resistance to acknowledging human-to-human transmission of COVID-19, the failure of authorities to immediately block domestic or international travel out of Wuhan and China's opposition to calls for an international inquiry into the pandemic.
The focus on China comes as Trump's own record has faced persistent scrutiny. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, told the AP on Monday that Trump was first briefed by intelligence agencies about the virus on Jan. 23, and then again on Jan. 28.
Providing a rare glimpse into one of the most sensitive U.S. government practices, the highly classified presidential daily briefing, McEnany said it was only in that second briefing that Trump was told that the virus was spreading outside China.
Trump, she added, was told that all the deaths were still occurring inside China and that Beijing was not sharing key data. Days later, Trump moved to severely curtail travel to the U.S. from China. The White House's descriptions of the briefing were prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a spokesperson said.
But reference to the coronavirus was included in at least passing mention in the written version of the intelligence briefing on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14, according to a senior U.S. government official within the intelligence community, who said that other officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, were briefed.
Officials emphasized that much of the U.S. government's attention during that period was on Iran, after the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a Jan 3 U.S. drone strike and the subsequent downing of Ukrainian airliner over Tehran.
By Associated Press
May 05, 2020
WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is making ever louder pronouncements casting blame on China for the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to sidestep domestic criticism of the president's own response, tarnish China's global reputation and give the U.S. leverage on trade and other aspects of U.S.-China competition.
President Donald Trump has vowed to penalize China for what U.S. officials have increasingly described as a pattern of deceit that denied the world precious time to prepare for the pandemic. The opening salvo isn't in the form of tariffs or sanctions but in a one-sided accounting of China's behavior that could yank the Chinese lower on the global reputation meter.
The State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the White House have all launched public efforts in recent days to lay bare what they say is clear evidence that China tried to mask the scale of the outbreak and then refused to provide critical access to U.S. and global scientists that could have saved lives. More than 250,000 people have died globally from COVID-19, including more than 68,000 in the U.S.
The Trump administration, a senior administration official says, is trying to convince the world that China isn't playing by the same rules as everyone else, and that may be the biggest punishment for an intensely proud emerging superpower. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the issue and spoke only on condition of anonymity.
To that end, the administration has pushed its China criticism beyond the bounds of established evidence.
Trump and allies repeat and express confidence in an unsubstantiated theory linking the origin of the outbreak to a possible accident at a Chinese virology laboratory. U.S. officials say they are still exploring the subject and describe the evidence as purely circumstantial. But Trump, aides say, has embraced the notion to further highlight China's lack of transparency.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" that there is "enormous evidence" that the virus began in the Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The institute, which is run by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is about 8 miles, or 13 kilometers, from a market that is considered a possible source for the virus. It has done groundbreaking research tracing the likely origins of the SARS virus, finding new bat viruses and discovering how they could jump to people.
Pompeo said China has denied the U.S. and World Health Organization access to the lab. But Trump says he has seen information that gives him a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan institute is the origin of the virus. Asked why he has such confidence, Trump said: "I can't tell you that. I'm not allowed to tell you that."
FILE - An aerial view shows the P4 laboratory of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, in Wuhan, China, April 17, 2020.
Health officials are dubious.
"From our perspective, this remains speculative," WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan says of the lab theory. "But like any evidence-based organization, we would be very willing to receive any information that purports to the origin of the virus."
Trump's ouster of more than a handful of top intelligence officials has given him an additional credibility problem when it comes to the administration's pronouncements based on intelligence.
"These purges have already, I fear, politicized the intelligence community's work in key ways," said Mike Morell, a former acting CIA director under President Barack Obama who now hosts the "Intelligence Matters" podcast. One of our institutions critical to the pursuit of the truth has a large crack in it."
China strongly rejects Trump's version of events.
On Monday, China's official Global Times newspaper said Pompeo was making "groundless accusations" against Beijing by suggesting the coronavirus was released from a Chinese laboratory.
The populist tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily said the claims were a politically motivated attempt to preserve Trump's presidency and divert attention from the U.S. administration's own failures in dealing with the outbreak.
While Trump's and Pompeo's critical statements have been at the forefront of the administration's anti-China rhetoric, U.S. government agencies, including the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, have been compiling often publicly available information to try to support the allegations.
DHS documents, obtained by The Associated Press on Sunday and Monday, accuse the Chinese government of intentionally downplaying the scope and severity of the spread of the virus in order to buy up international stocks of personal protective equipment and other medical supplies needed to combat the disease.
Although any country might be expected to purchase large quantities of materials necessary to combat a major threat to public health, the administration has sought to portray China's actions as secret, irresponsible and dangerous for the rest of the world.
One such document, drawing from open source material, emphasizes reports about the disappearance of Chinese doctors who raised early alarms about the virus and the response, the Chinese government's alleged suppression and destruction of virus samples and closure of relevant laboratories.
It also reports on China's early resistance to acknowledging human-to-human transmission of COVID-19, the failure of authorities to immediately block domestic or international travel out of Wuhan and China's opposition to calls for an international inquiry into the pandemic.
The focus on China comes as Trump's own record has faced persistent scrutiny. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, told the AP on Monday that Trump was first briefed by intelligence agencies about the virus on Jan. 23, and then again on Jan. 28.
Providing a rare glimpse into one of the most sensitive U.S. government practices, the highly classified presidential daily briefing, McEnany said it was only in that second briefing that Trump was told that the virus was spreading outside China.
Trump, she added, was told that all the deaths were still occurring inside China and that Beijing was not sharing key data. Days later, Trump moved to severely curtail travel to the U.S. from China. The White House's descriptions of the briefing were prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, a spokesperson said.
But reference to the coronavirus was included in at least passing mention in the written version of the intelligence briefing on Jan. 11 and Jan. 14, according to a senior U.S. government official within the intelligence community, who said that other officials, including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, were briefed.
Officials emphasized that much of the U.S. government's attention during that period was on Iran, after the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a Jan 3 U.S. drone strike and the subsequent downing of Ukrainian airliner over Tehran.
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Military Alliances, Partnerships Strengthened Through Defense Strategy Execution
Aug. 5, 2020
In a rapidly changing world, the United States must defend its interests and values against new threats and new competitors, especially from China and Russia. But it can't do it alone. Instead, the U.S. must strengthen relationships with existing partners and allies while also building new partnerships.
Strengthening alliances and attracting new partners is one of three lines of effort central to the National Defense Strategy laid out in 2018. It's something Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper has been focused on since he took office last year. The secretary said developing a coordinated strategy for American allies and partners is among his top priorities.
"These like-minded nations are an unmatched advantage that China and Russia do not have," Esper said.
Over the past year, with encouragement from the United States, NATO has enhanced its readiness by continuing to secure pledges from alliance members to increase their defense spending. About two-thirds of NATO nations have pledged to increase defense spending to 2% of their gross domestic product by 2021, but all have increased spending to some degree already.
In the Indo-Pacific region, the department has strengthened alliances and partnerships by deepening interoperability, expanding deterrent networks, and executing maritime security and awareness operations.
Also in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. conducted a record number of freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea over the past year, more than any other year since 2015, to deter China's malign behavior. For example, in July 2019, the USS Nimitz conducted exercises with the Indian navy in the Indian Ocean. That exercise, Esper said, demonstrates a shared commitment between the two nations to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
In November 2019, the United States also participated in its first joint military exercise with India — a partnership Esper called "one of the all-important defense relationships of the 21st century."
In the Middle East, the United States has led a coalition of more than 80 partners to ensure the enduring defeat of the ISIS physical caliphate. And in September, the United States joined a group of nations to establish the International Maritime Security Construct, in which the U.S. partners with eight countries, Lithuania being the most recent. The goal of the group is to maintain order and security in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
When it comes to foreign military sales, the department has improved policy and practices by lowering costs and introducing competitive financing opportunities, which have increased U.S. competitiveness and improved interoperability among partners.
In fiscal year 2019, the department maintained sales of more than $55 billion for the second consecutive year, which increased the three-year rolling average for sales by 16 percent. Additionally, the department improved the time it takes to respond to partner nation requests by 17%.
Also, the State Department recently approved a possible sale of 105 F-35 aircraft to Japan and the sale of All Up Round MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to Belgium. And in Asia, the United States may also allow the sale of eight MV-22 Osprey aircraft to Indonesia.
Efforts involving arms sales to partner and allied nations not only increase interoperability between the U.S. military and the militaries of partner and allied nations, but also mean that the U.S. military and those nations will work together in ongoing training and technical assistance as part of the deal.
Link:
U.S. Dept. of Defense
Aug. 5, 2020
In a rapidly changing world, the United States must defend its interests and values against new threats and new competitors, especially from China and Russia. But it can't do it alone. Instead, the U.S. must strengthen relationships with existing partners and allies while also building new partnerships.
Strengthening alliances and attracting new partners is one of three lines of effort central to the National Defense Strategy laid out in 2018. It's something Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper has been focused on since he took office last year. The secretary said developing a coordinated strategy for American allies and partners is among his top priorities.
"These like-minded nations are an unmatched advantage that China and Russia do not have," Esper said.
Over the past year, with encouragement from the United States, NATO has enhanced its readiness by continuing to secure pledges from alliance members to increase their defense spending. About two-thirds of NATO nations have pledged to increase defense spending to 2% of their gross domestic product by 2021, but all have increased spending to some degree already.
In the Indo-Pacific region, the department has strengthened alliances and partnerships by deepening interoperability, expanding deterrent networks, and executing maritime security and awareness operations.
Also in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. conducted a record number of freedom-of-navigation operations in the South China Sea over the past year, more than any other year since 2015, to deter China's malign behavior. For example, in July 2019, the USS Nimitz conducted exercises with the Indian navy in the Indian Ocean. That exercise, Esper said, demonstrates a shared commitment between the two nations to support a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
In November 2019, the United States also participated in its first joint military exercise with India — a partnership Esper called "one of the all-important defense relationships of the 21st century."
In the Middle East, the United States has led a coalition of more than 80 partners to ensure the enduring defeat of the ISIS physical caliphate. And in September, the United States joined a group of nations to establish the International Maritime Security Construct, in which the U.S. partners with eight countries, Lithuania being the most recent. The goal of the group is to maintain order and security in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.
When it comes to foreign military sales, the department has improved policy and practices by lowering costs and introducing competitive financing opportunities, which have increased U.S. competitiveness and improved interoperability among partners.
In fiscal year 2019, the department maintained sales of more than $55 billion for the second consecutive year, which increased the three-year rolling average for sales by 16 percent. Additionally, the department improved the time it takes to respond to partner nation requests by 17%.
Also, the State Department recently approved a possible sale of 105 F-35 aircraft to Japan and the sale of All Up Round MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to Belgium. And in Asia, the United States may also allow the sale of eight MV-22 Osprey aircraft to Indonesia.
Efforts involving arms sales to partner and allied nations not only increase interoperability between the U.S. military and the militaries of partner and allied nations, but also mean that the U.S. military and those nations will work together in ongoing training and technical assistance as part of the deal.
Link:
U.S. Dept. of Defense