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Israel’s defense ministry chief on first visit to DC

Amir Baram thanked U.S. Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby for his “steadfast support of Israel and his commitment to Israel’s security needs.”

Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram. Credit: Israel Ministry of Defense.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram. Credit: Israel Ministry of Defense.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, is in Washington this week for his first visit since assuming the position on March 24.

Baram met with top U.S. officials, including Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, to discuss expanding defense cooperation and addressing regional security challenges, the ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Talks centered on joint defense production, research and development initiatives, and shared strategic assessments amid security challenges in the Middle East. Baram thanked Colby for his “steadfast support of Israel and his commitment to Israel’s security needs,” the statement said.

Baram is joined on the visit by senior defense officials, including Brig. Gen. (res.) Dror Shalom, head of the ministry’s Policy and Political-Military Bureau; Defense Attaché to the United States Brig. Gen. Heidi Zilberman; and the ministry’s Washington representative Omer Haim.

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