Yesterday, we welcomed Minister Pevkur from Estonia, Minister Sprüds from Latvia, and Minister Sakaliené from Lithuania to the Pentagon. We discussed President Trump's historic success in bringing the NATO alliance together behind the 5% defense spending pledge at the Hague Summit, which the Baltic states are on track to hit in the next year. The momentum behind a stronger and more lethal NATO alliance is high, and I thank the Baltic defense ministers for their support toward our shared objective.

Under the previous administration, Lt. Col. Lohmeier was removed for exposing the rise of Marxism and Critical Race Theory in our military. Today, he’s been confirmed as Under Secretary of the Air Force. I look forward to having him at the Pentagon.

America's sons and daughters who serve in our military deserve the best leaders. Which is why we are reforming the promotion system at DOD. @stuartscheller

What an honor to host HRH Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain at the Pentagon. We discussed ways to deepen our robust defense cooperation in support of shared interests and a prosperous and secure Middle East. Bahrain is a gracious host to U.S. warfighters.

Update on DOD’s cloud services

It was an honor to meet with my German counterpart, Minister Pistorius.   We discussed Germany’s leadership on the game-changing, historic commitment by NATO allies to spend 5% of GDP on defense.   We agreed that our allies must invest in the transatlantic industrial base to build a more lethal, ready NATO.

Great discussion today with MSO/VSO leaders about restoring the warrior ethos in our ranks. We are refocusing on readiness, standards, accountability, meritocracy, and supporting our military families. Their important work is vital to our mission.

Today, I hosted Israeli Prime Minister @netanyahu to honor the historic success of Operation Midnight Hammer and to celebrate Israel's special partnership with the United States.

Happy Independence Day, fellow Patriots! I’m grateful to live in a country where we have true freedom — safeguarded and purchased by our warriors, past and present. Long live the American Republic, especially those who protect her.