New Defence Secretary meets US counterpart

New Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has held his first bilateral meeting with his US counterpart, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Having returned from NATO and counter-Daesh Ministerial meetings in Brussels, the meeting in London, in which Williamson reaffirmed his support to the US-led coalition against ISIL, concentrated on current threats, capability and shared prosperity. Williamson said: “From fighting in the trenches of the Great War to countering Russian aggression and tackling Daesh today, the UK has been America’s closest partner for a century. Today our countries are cooperating on everything from operations and intelligence to innovation and this meeting is an opportunity to continue strengthening our special relationship.” The NATO alliance agreed to adapt its command structure to better reflect the security environment, announcing the establishment of two new headquarters: an Atlantic Command and a Logistics Command.