WASHINGTON, April 11 (Xinhua) -- The Pentagon said on Thursday that senior delegations from the United States and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) met here Tuesday and Wednesday for the fourth meeting of the Joint Military Dialogue to discuss defense challenges.

According to a statement issued by the Pentagon, the two delegations discussed a broad range of defense challenges, including counterterrorism, border and maritime security, air and missile defense, and security cooperation.

Specifically, the two sides discussed efforts to counter regional threats, expand planning and training regimes, and the U.S.-UAE Defense Cooperation Roadmap.

The United States welcomed the UAE' willingness to share defense burden and support "joint regional security objectives," the statement read.

The dialogue is the premier defense forum between the two nations for coordinating defense cooperation, identifying shared security objectives and consulting on a wide array of strategic issues.