Nordic-Baltic-US Forum Addresses Security Needs In Baltic Sea, North Atlantic - Pentagon

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2019) US, Nordic and Baltic officials met in Washington to discuss improving security in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic against great power competition, the Department of Defense said in a press release on Friday.

"The group discussed opportunities to strengthen the Nordic-Baltic-US defense relationship by improving regional maritime domain awareness and maritime capabilities in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic," the release said. "They also addressed regional security challenges, including capability gaps and interoperability challenges through the lens of the National Defense Strategy with a focus on great power competition."

US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood, who led the US delegation, called on his counterparts to continue to increase defense spending and investments in order to share the security burden, the release said.

All participants were also encouraged to continue work to improve interoperability with the United States and NATO, the release added.

Rood was joined by senior defense officials from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden, the release noted.

The Arctic Ocean is a key area of interest in the international community. In May, the Arctic Council ministerial meeting ended with no declaration for the first time due to the United States' opposition to the wording of the provision on fighting climate change. Instead of a declaration, the meeting resulted in a joint ministerial statement that did not explicitly mention climate change.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo then accused Russia of acting aggressively in the region and boosting military buildup, with warnings of similar conduct from China.