US-Ethiopia Security Pact ‘Win-Win’ for Horn of Africa, Says Tibor Nagy

Addis Ababa, September 4, 2026 (ENA)— Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Tibor Nagy underscored the strategic value of military cooperation between the United States and Ethiopia, describing engagement with the Ethiopian National Defence Forces as a clear “win-win” for both sides and for regional stability.

Recently, a high-level Ethiopian delegation, led by Major General Teshome Gemechu, Director General of Foreign Relations and Military Cooperation at the FDRE Ministry of Defence, held talks with senior U.S. Department of War officials.

Following these discussions, Ethiopia and the United States have agreed to establish comprehensive strategic cooperation in defense and security.

In an exclusive interview with Pulse of Africa, Tibor Nagy, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, highlighted the Ethiopian military’s high level of professionalism, which he said places it at the upper end among African forces.

He attributed this to deep discipline and a continuous military tradition dating back centuries.

“The Ethiopian military has been always at the high end of a professional military again because of the discipline and the history,” Nagy said.

‘This is the same military that is the successor of the people who won the Battle of Adwa,’ he said, noting that Ethiopia’s warrior spirit and the idea of fighting for the nation remain ‘in the DNA’.

Nagy compared the military’s institutional professionalism to that of Ethiopian Airlines, emphasizing consistency in a large country with a very long military history.

This professionalism, he argued, makes sustained contact and cooperation with Ethiopia’s armed forces particularly valuable.

“Having contact with such a military is extremely important because the United States has certain advantages in training, equipment and strategies,” Nagy stated.

He stressed that a stable and prosperous Horn of Africa serves core U.S. interests.

“The United States can definitely hugely benefit from a stable and prosperous Horn of Africa because it’s a key region of the world,” he said, pointing to nearby challenges such as Houthi operations affecting Red Sea shipping lanes, which he described as “straight downhill down the mountain from Ethiopia.”

Framing the relationship in broader terms, Nagy concluded that deepened U.S.-Ethiopian military and strategic engagement represent “a win-win proposition for all sides.