In his first meeting with a Middle East nation since his confirmation as defense secretary, Mark Esper pressed his Egyptian counterpart this week to wage a counterinsurgency-style fight in the Sinai Peninsula.

“During his visit, I spoke to [Defense] Minister [Mohammad] Zaki extensively about their efforts in Sinai and it’s clear we share the importance of a population-centric approach, even if it takes longer to be successful,” Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Mick Mulroy said in a statement provided exclusively to Al-Monitor.

The statement is a sign of the Pentagon's optimism about the relationship, even as the fight in the desert against the Islamic State and other groups has frustrated lawmakers, including Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the ranking Democrat on the upper chamber’s powerful appropriations panel. Leahy has held up $105 million in US military aid over US access to Sinai and other issues since 2018.

The pressure has increased on both sides of Capitol Hill. In May, the House conditioned $260 million of Egypt’s military assistance on human rights and democracy in its annual foreign aid spending bill.