Defense Secretary Dr. Mark Esper visits Mongolia for talks with the Mongolian Defense Minister Nyamaagiin Enkhbold.

The Pentagon chief receives a horse as a gift from the Mongolian Defense Minister Nyamaagiin Enkhbold during a ceremony.

Esper names the horse “Marshall,” after General George Marshall, a World War II U.S. general who later served as Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State under President Harry Truman.

The U.S. defense chief is in Mongolia to reaffirm U.S.-Mongolia shared values and the U.S. role in supporting democracy and freedom.

[Mark Esper, US Defense Secretary]:

"It's my deep privilege to be here with you and have the opportunity to think of different ways we can further strengthen the ties between our two countries and our two peoples. I thank you for that great opportunity."

Esper tweets, “We are proud to be your “third neighbor” and recaps the U.S.-Mongolia shared values, which is “a commitment to democracy and human rights.”

The U.S. defense secretary is presented with a Mongolian horse that is considered one of the world’s oldest breeds of horses, with bloodlines dating back to ancient times—since about 2000 B.C.