WASHINGTON, July 19, 2016 — Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work met with Latvian Defense Minister Raimonds Bergmanis today at the Pentagon and reaffirmed the iron-clad U.S. commitment to upholding NATO's Article 5 obligations to defend the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all 28 NATO members, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Gordon Trowbridge said.

The leaders went on to reflect on the success of NATO’s July 8-9 summit in Warsaw, Poland, noting that NATO allies are now more ready than ever to act together to deter external aggression, Trowbridge said in a statement summarizing the meeting. 

Gratitude for Latvia’s Contributions

Work thanked Bergmanis for Latvia's deployment of trainers to Iraq for the coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and for its commitment to dedicate 2 percent of its gross domestic product to defense spending by 2018, Trowbridge said.

He also applauded Latvia's efforts to procure new systems that will increase its military capabilities, as well as its interoperability with other NATO allies, he added.

“Deputy Secretary Work said that the U.S. will continue to execute a robust exercise program in Latvia and throughout the alliance's eastern flank, noting that the U.S. will be deploying an additional armored brigade combat team to Europe,” Trowbridge said. “Both Deputy Secretary Work and Minister Bergmanis stated that they look forward to implementing NATO's enhanced forward presence and to working together in the future.”