The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Sunday announced that a 20-member delegation is heading to the United States of America to attend the 19th RSA-USA Defence Committee Meeting.
Scheduled to take place in Washington from 07 – 08 June 2023, the purpose of the meeting is to engage the United States Department of Defence on a range of defence-to-defence and military cooperation matters, SANDF explained.
According to the department, its delegation will be led by the Acting Secretary for Defence Dr. Thobekile Gamede, as the Head of Department, supported by the Chief of Staff of the Defence Force, Lieutenant General Michael Ramantswana, including other senior officials and subject experts of the Defence Department.
“The 19th Defence Committee meeting is therefore the continuation and consolidation of the Strategic Defence Relationship and partnership between the two countries, and will deliberate on a range of issues, including continued discussion on the issues raised in the previous Defence Committee Meetings in 2017 and 2019.
“The Parties will strategise the way forward for the next number of years, and will conclude a Defence Cooperation Plan to give effect to all decisions taken and to deepen the high level of cooperation that exists between them,” SANDF said.
The bilateral relationship between the RSA and the USA was formalised with the signing of a Defence Cooperation Agreement in 1995, which provided for the establishment of a RSA-USA Defence Committee.
The Defence Committee was subsequently established on 29 July 1997 with the signing of the Terms of Reference by former Minister Joe Modise and Secretary William Cohen.
