On October 10, the Brazil-U.S. Business Council co-hosted the second U.S.-Brazil Defense Industry Dialogue (DID), a gathering with over a hundred leaders from both government and private sectors underlining the need not only for bilateral cooperation but also for new partnerships.
Officials called the Dialogue a key element in assuring, “a steady, stable Western Hemisphere.” Another official said the Dialogue “sets the standard for growing bilateral defense industry cooperation.”
The meeting kicked off with a session of top government officials that addressed the strategic importance of government-to-government bilateral defense cooperation as well as ideas for enhanced collaboration between the two private sectors. In September 2016 the two governments signed a letter of intent formalizing the commitment to establishing the U.S.-Brazil Defense Industry Dialogue, as a strategic government to business platform.
During this DID, the Brazil-U.S. Business Council announced the submission of a letter of support for the advancement of a Technology Safeguards Agreement between the U.S. and Brazil that will provide a government-to-government legal framework for companies to explore business opportunities in areas of space exploration.
This DID showcased Council member company executives as thought leaders alongside the following top government leaders: Ken Hyatt, U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Commerce for the International Trade Administration, Flávio Basílio, Secretary of Defense Products the Ministry of Defense, Sergio de la Peña, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs for the U.S. Department of Defense, Hussein Ali Kalout, Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs for the Brazilian Presidency, and Ambassador Liliana Ayalde, Civilian Deputy to the Commander United States Southern Command.
