Arlington, Safar 6, 1437, Nov 18, 2015, SPA -- U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter hosted Lithuanian Defense Minister Juozas Olekas Tuesday, the Pentagon said Wednesday. "Secretary Carter thanked Minister Olekas for Lithuania's continued support of NATO's (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Resolute Support mission, and for Lithuania's stated intent to increase defense spending to two percent by 2018," Pentagon spokesperson Peter Cook said in a statement. "Secretary Carter and Minister Olekas discussed the U.S.-Lithuanian defense relationship, and the United States' ironclad commitment to Lithuania's security through both bilateral and NATO efforts in the Baltic region, including European Reassurance Initiative investments in equipment procurement and command and control upgrades for Lithuania," Cook said. --SPA 19:05 LOCAL TIME 16:05 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w