Pentagon Chief Spokesperson Dana W. White provided the following readout:

Today, Secretary of Defense James N. Mattis attended the Aqaba Process, a conference held in Aqaba, Jordan, focused on countering radicalization. The conference, hosted by His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan and in partnership with Nigeria, brought together leaders from Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, the United States and international organizations to discuss shared challenges and strategies to counter radicalization and terrorism in West Africa.

During the conference, Secretary Mattis discussed DoD’s partnership-driven approach and  emphasized the need for whole-of-government efforts to combat terrorism.  Secretary Mattis also reiterated U.S. support for African-led regional security efforts in West Africa such as the Multinational Joint Task Force and the G5 Sahel Joint Force.

In addition, the secretary expressed appreciation to Jordan for supporting hosting this important forum, and for its strong security partnership with the U.S.