US to Give More Funds for Military Capacity in Western Hemisphere

The United States will provide additional funds to nations in the Western Hemisphere to support the development of their military capacity to better respond to disasters, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said at the Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas (CDMA) in Trinidad and Tobago.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Carter added that the United States already partners with several countries in the Western Hemisphere on defense reform, and based on increased demand, Washington intends to broaden those efforts in scale and scope.

"For its part, the United States will increase its funding to help nations in our hemisphere build their military capacity to support civilian authorities with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief," Carter said at the 12th CDMA meeting on Tuesday.

Carter reiterated the United States stands ready to help countries in the hemisphere strengthen their defense institutions, whereby it can share lessons learned from its own reform efforts.

"We’re all constantly transforming," Carter said. "And as I’ve been working hard to improve the US Defense Department, I know we can learn something from your countries as well."