US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel met his Danish counterpart Nicolai Wammen at the Pentagon late on Wednesday, in an effort to reaffirm the \"strong defense relationship based upon shared approaches and security issues\" and continue the military cooperation between the two countries, with a focus on Afghanistan. In a statement from Press Secretary George Little, the meeting is said to have \"highlighted the long friendship between the two nations\' armed forces, as well as present-day cooperation in NATO-led operations in Afghanistan, off the Horn of Africa and cyber defense.\" The two leaders also talked about \"developments in Afghanistan\'s national security forces\' capability to address the country own security challenges\" and how the US and Denmark \"should work to maintain and increase interoperability and implement lessons learned from operations in Afghanistan.\" The ongoing conflicts in Syria and Egypt were also on the agenda, according to Little. Diplomatic relations between the US and Denmark date back to the 1800s, and they are allied through their membership in the NATO.