Senior Israeli Defense Delegation Attends Senior Forum for the Common Defense Policy for the United States and Israel (DPAG) in Washington

Jerusalem, 25 August, 2021 (TPS) -- Over the past two days in Washington, Israel’s Ministry of Defense led an annual security conference held for the defense ministries of Israel and the United States. The meeting came as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in Washington for his first official visit to America as the Prime Minister.

The forum is called DPAG – US-Israeli Defense Policy Advisory Group. The forum was hosted by the US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. Colin Kahel.

The Israeli delegation was headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Eshel. The Israeli team included the head of the security-political division, Zohar Felti, the head of the AGAT, General Tomer Bar, the IDF attaché in Washington, Maj. Some senior officials from all agencies and commands.

The DPAG Forum, founded in 1999, is the most senior security meeting shared by Israel and the United States. The forum promotes strategic cooperation between the two countries’ defense ministries and promotes Israel’s security in a variety of security areas.

The conference dealt with global and regional security challenges and focused on Iran’s progress on the nuclear project, Iranian terrorism throughout the Middle East and Iran’s activities to undermine regional stability.

Israeli and American officials also discussed building up IDF’s forces and its multi-year equipment program.

The forum’s participants also agreed on the need to strengthen multilateral security cooperation between Israel and its neighbors.

The United States and Israel have also pledged to step up cooperation with unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

The U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense reiterated the Pentagon’s support for the request of $1 billion in assistance for the Iron Dome missile defense system and the Department of Defense’s additional defense requirements.

The Undersecretary of State emphasized the United States’ firm commitment to Israel’s security and to maintaining the IDF’s qualitative advantage.

The Director General of the Ministry of Defense, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amir Eshel, expressed his appreciation, on behalf of the entire Israeli defense establishment, for the full commitment of the United States to the security of the State of Israel and the unprecedented cooperation between the Israeli and American Defense Ministries.