A senior Pentagon official has called South Korea a “model ally,” after it became the first U.S. ally outside NATO to commit to increasing defense spending to three-point-five percent of its gross domestic product.

At an event held in Washington on Friday to commemorate Korean National Day and Armed Forces Day, Under Secretary of War for Policy Elbridge Colby said South Korea is his country’s first non-NATO ally to commit to the standard put forth by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comment comes a day after the allies announced a joint fact sheet on trade and security agreements from two recent summits, which included Seoul’s defense spending pledge. 

Colby said President Lee Jae Myung and his administration have “put their effort, money, seriousness and commitment where their mouth is.”

Describing the Seoul-Washington alliance as “forward-looking,” the Pentagon official added that the U.S. seeks to work with allies that are partners, not dependents, so it can better concentrate its efforts on reinforcing its own military.