U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani have met in Kabul to discuss U.S.-Afghanistan strategic partnership in support of Afghanistan’s security, DoD News reported Friday.

Terri Moon Cronk writes Carter said at a press conference that U.S. and coalition partners will continue to aid Afghan troops and that the U.S. remains committed to Afghanistan’s security and sovereignty.

Carter noted that combined international community pledges to support Afghan forces amount to approximately $5 billion per year through 2020, Moon Cronk reported.

The secretary added these force and financial commitments support U.S. counterterrorism mission and help maintain the stability of Afghanistan, the U.S. homeland and the coalition.

Afghan and U.S. troops carried out two operations against the Islamic State militant group which killed the organization’s top leader in Afghanistan, according to Carter.

U.S. forces also fought al-Qaida in Afghanistan which led to the death of the group’s top plotter, the report stated.

Carter also honored the sacrifices of Defense Department personnel in Afghanistan including three service members and two contractors who died in a suicide attack at Bagram in November.

Frank Kendall, defense undersecretary for acquisition, technology and logistics, recognized several Defense Department personnel and military organizations during the Defense Acquisition Workforce awards held Thursday in Virginia, DoD News reported Thursday.

Amaani Lyle writes Kendall discussed at the event DoD’s efforts to develop data-driven procurement policies as part of the Better Buying Power program.

Kendall was joined by Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work as speaker and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as presenter.

The 431st supply chain management squadron at the Air Force Materiel Command received the gold award in the 2016 Workforce Development Awards’ large organization category.

DoD officials also presented silver and bronze awards to the Army Contracting Command and the Defense Contract Audit Agency.

Awardees in the small organization category include the resource management division at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s contracting directorate, airborne anti-submarine warfare systems at the Navy’s aircraft division and the special operations forces acquisition, technology and logistics at the Special Operations Command.

Click here to view the full list of 2016 Workforce Individual Award recipients.

Arati Prabhakar, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, highlighted  technologies DARPA developed through sustained support from the Defense Department in the past six decades during a Center for Strategic and International Studies-hosted panel discussion, DoD News reported Thursday.

Cheryl Pellerin writes Prabhakar said that DoD supported DARPA’s efforts to develop technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, internet, modern microelectronics, precision strike and stealth.

“We have to design systems that are inherently able to keep progressing at the pace of the underlying technology,” said Prabhakar.

“I think that’s the only way we’re going to get ahead in the kind of technological environment that we’re in today.”

She noted thatDARPA allots resources on projects with ambitious goals and performs work to mitigate risks of the technologies that are then handed off to people and companies that make such technologies operational.

Prabhakar added that technology works to help people reduce poverty around the world and the private sector works to increase research-and-development efforts work to help grow economies.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and his counterpart from India Manohar Parrikar met in New Delhi as part of a trip to discuss priorities with ally nations and thank service members around the world, DoD News reported Thursday.

Amaani Lyle writes the two leaders discussed technology matters including the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative that aims to expand collaboration and business ties between the two nations.

Both leaders also talked about regional security issues such as terrorist threats and agreed to continue efforts to bolster bilateral counterterrorism cooperation to address a need to defend states against terror groups.

“There is a lot going on in this relationship, you couldn’t have imagined what we’re doing now in 2008, and you couldn’t imagine that in 2000,” said Carter.

Carter added that the relationship between India and the U.S. can be reflected through its joint activities including bilateral and trilateral exercises.

The U.S. and India have launched seven joint working groups under the DTTI and have also increased the amount of U.S.-India defense trade to $14 billion since 2008 which covers Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules aircraft, C-17 Globemaster II transports and P-8 Poseidon aircraft.

The report added that the two countries have inked a $732 million agreement that will provide 145 M777 Howitzer guns to the Indian army.