Education World

The United States and Brazil signed an agreement here Monday on defense cooperation in such areas as research and development, logistics support, technology security, and the acquisition of defense products and services.

The accord, signed by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his Brazilian counterpart, Nelson Jobim, will “enable U.S.-Brazil defense cooperation to deepen and expand into new areas of mutual interest,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.

Under the agreement, the two sides will also work together on information exchanges on topics such as operational experiences, defense technology, and international peacekeeping operations.

Also covered in the accord will be combined military training and education and joint military exercises, exchanges of instructors and students from defense institutions, naval ship visits, and defense-related commercial initiatives.