Austin meets Czech counterpart at Pentagon

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with Czech Defence Minister Jana Cernochová at the Pentagon, whose visit is centered on signing a bilateral defense cooperation agreement.

The Czech defense minister also wants to secure U.S. military helicopters for the Czech Armed Forces to replace outdated Soviet-era MI-24 helicopters which the Czech Army currently has in its arsenal.

The two Defense ministers' meeting will focus primarily on the importance of the U.S.-Czech strategic alliance and the cooperation in building up the NATO Battle Group in Slovakia.