Angola and the United States opened two days of strategic defence talks in Luanda on Tuesday, as the bilateral Defence Cooperation Committee — known as DEFCOM — convened to deepen security ties and identify new areas of collaboration between the two countries.
Senior officials from both sides are using the two-day session to build on institutional dialogue launched in 2024 in Washington, under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Angola’s Ministry of National Defence, Former Combatants and War Veterans and the US Department of Defense.
At the opening session, Angola’s Secretary of State for the Military Industry, Afonso Carlos Neto, said Angola intends to develop national competencies, promote technology transfer, stimulate scientific research, encourage local production and establish sustainable industrial partnerships.
The goal, he said, is to create a national conglomerate capable of supporting the maintenance and modernisation of military equipment, as well as the production of technological systems for the defence sector.
Afonso Carlos Neto stressed that a solid defence industry represents, simultaneously, an instrument of national sovereignty, a factor of economic diversification and an opportunity for the creation of highly skilled employment.
He added that Angola aims to identify new cooperation opportunities with the United States involving public institutions, universities, research centres and defence industry companies.
The Secretary of State said he expected the meeting to yield new agreements in the areas of training, cyber-defence, artificial intelligence applied to defence, critical infrastructure protection, maritime security, military medicine, military engineering, emergency response and the strengthening of industrial capacities.
He also expressed interest in deepening cooperation on peacekeeping operations, joint military exercises, academic exchanges between military institutions and the development of innovative solutions to address common security challenges.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Shannon Cazeau highlighted Angola’s significant role in promoting peace and security in the region, underscoring that Washington places great value on the bilateral partnership and on strengthening relations between the two countries.
Cazeau said defence cooperation is one of the pillars of the Angola-US relationship, adding that over the past decade a previously distant relationship has evolved into a partnership grounded in mutual respect, growing economic cooperation and shared interests.
She noted that more than 60 American companies are currently operating in Angola, investing billions of dollars across various sectors of the national economy.
Since 1994, she said, the United States has invested more than US$160 million in support of the removal of more than 100,000 landmines in Angola — an effort that should allow the country to become mine-free by the end of the current decade.
Cazeau also said that through the Lobito Corridor, approximately US$4 billion in public and private financing is being mobilised for infrastructure projects designed to strengthen regional economies, diversify supply chains and enhance both regional and global connectivity.
She added that the governments of Angola and the United States are also cooperating across trade, energy, security, public health, education, infrastructure and regional stability.
DEFCOM serves as the principal strategic dialogue mechanism between Angola and the United States in the field of defence and security, enabling the reinforcement of bilateral cooperation, the promotion of regional stability and the identification of new areas of collaboration between the two countries.
Source: ANGOP / Original article: https://www.angop.ao/noticias/politica/angola-e-eua-analisam-novas-areas-de-cooperacao-no-dominio-da-defesa/
