Sofia, Bulgaria: United States Secretary of Defense – Lloyd Austin -arrived in Bulgaria on March 18, 2022, Friday, for his working visit which is scheduled for two days. Bulgarian Minister of Defense – Dragomir Zakov gave an invitation to the U.S. Defence Secretary for paying a visit to the European country.
On reaching Bulgaria at the airbase of the Army in Bezmer, US Defence Secretary tweeted, “Wheels down in Bulgaria, where I will be meeting with government leaders and visit some of our troops training alongside the Bulgarian armed forces.”
Wheels down in Bulgaria, where I’ll meet with government leaders and visit some of our troops training alongside the Bulgarian armed forces. pic.twitter.com/EtQxlAM9IT
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 18, 2022
Meanwhile, he also met with the troops of the United States as well as Bulgaria, deployed at the Bezmer Air Base.
The Defence Secretary, providing the information and sharing his experience, wrote on Twitter, “It was my honour to spend some more time with U.S. and Bulgarian troops at the Bezmer Air Base this afternoon. The outstanding work being done here is a prime instance of the unity between not just our two nations but all @NATO Allies. #WeAreNATO“.
It was my honor to spend some time with U.S. and Bulgarian troops at Bezmer Air Base this afternoon. The outstanding work being done here is a prime example of the unity between not just our two nations, but all @NATO Allies. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/Vm2kJ3h8LA
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 18, 2022
Prior to arriving in Bulgaria, the U.S. Defence Secretary initially travelled to Brussels, Belgium (on March 16, 2022), where he conducted a meeting with his other counterparts of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization).
Following his visit to Brussels, Austin went to Slovakia. The official account of U.S. Department of Defense on Twitter – Department of Defense, tweeted, “Interoperability on full display. Earlier today, @SecDef met with U.S., Slovak, and @NATO forces at Vajnory Barracks in Bratislava, Slovakia. #WeAreNATO“.
https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense/status/1504909641892962319
Meanwhile, Austin tweeted, “Just met with U.S., Slovak, and @NATO forces at Vajnory Barracks in Bratislava, Slovakia. It’s this kind of cohesion and Interoperability — in action — that is the foundation of the NATO Alliance. #WeAreNATO“.
Just met with U.S., Slovak, and @NATO forces at Vajnory Barracks in Bratislava, Slovakia. It’s this kind of cohesion and interoperability — in action — that is the foundation of the NATO Alliance. #WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/AJ40gEFzli
— Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III (@SecDef) March 18, 2022
This visit of the U.S. Defence Secretary comes at a very crucial time when a war conflict has been going on between Russia-Ukraine. To date, America has committed $2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine – $1 billion just this week.
U.S. Mission to NATO tweeted, “Since the start of the Biden/Harris Administration, the has committed $2 billion in security assistance to Ukraine – $1 billion just this week. @DeptofDefense will transfer anti-aircraft systems, javelins & other equipment to the military to help them defend their country.”
https://twitter.com/USNATO/status/1504777558679863299