On 2 May, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Joshua Harris and Special Envoy for Libya Ambassador Richard Norland met with Government of National Unity (GNU) Deputy Minister of Defence Abdussalam Zoubi during his visit to Washington. The two sides reviewed recent progress in Libyan efforts to unify military institutions, secure borders, and protect national sovereignty. The US said it will continue to collaborate with officials from both western and eastern Libya in support of these Libyan-led efforts.
On 3 May, Zoubi visited the US Department of Defence at the Pentagon, the first official visit by a Libyan Ministry of Defense official for over a decade according to the GNU. Zoubi held a series of high-level meetings with top US Department of Defense officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense and Director for Africa Affairs in the Secretary of Defense David Keith, and Director for Middle East and Africa at the Board of General Staff, Major General Erin Osborne, Ethan Irwin, the US Defense Attachment in Libya, Spencer Propst from the North African Office at the Ministry of Defense, and Thomas Clark from the Presidency of General Staff Board.
Talks focused on strengthening military and security cooperation between Libya and the United States, particularly in the areas of training, capacity-building and counter-terrorism, in line with Libya’s aspirations to rebuild its defense institutions in accordance with modern professional standards.
Zoubi will also participate in the events of Special Operations Week 2025, hosted in Tampa, Florida, from 5 to 8 May, with wide participation from Defense Department representatives and special forces leaders from different countries around the world.