Speaking Feb. 15 at a NATO ministerial conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Russia’s “reckless war of choice” represents the worst European security crisis since World War II and requires a “fundamental shift” in the alliance’s collective defense and deterrence efforts.
“Business as usual at the Department is not acceptable,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin writes in his introduction to the 2022 National Defense Strategy. “We live in turbulent times."
In the face of rising consumer prices, the Defense Department has unveiled a 13-point plan to help service members and their families.
“This is personal for me,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin writes in a Sept. 22 memorandum to Pentagon leaders and combatant commanders. “I have seen firsthand how much our military families sacrifice to keep our force strong, healthy and ready to defend this exceptional nation,” he says. “I understand the extraordinary pressures that our military families face, and we are determined to do right by them.”
Units involved in the withdrawal from Afghanistan will be recognized for their service, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced.
“At President Biden’s direction, all units involved in the retrograde operation from Afghanistan, Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome will be awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation or its equivalent,” Austin said in a statement released Aug. 31.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley on Jan. 28 called for diplomacy and peace as Russia continues to mass “tens of thousands” of troops on its border with Ukraine.
“There is no reason this situation has to devolve into conflict,” Austin said in a briefing with reporters. He added that conflict is not inevitable. “There’s still time and space for diplomacy,” he said.
Milley echoed Austin’s remarks. “Ukraine has the right to be independent. We strongly encourage Russia to stand down,” he said.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin expressed concern Dec. 6 over national security programs because of the delay of congressional approval of the fiscal 2022 defense funding bill. He termed the delay “fiscally unsound” and said the only people who would be pleased were the nation’s enemies.
America’s longest war has come to a close, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sept. 1 at a Pentagon press conference.
“The war is over, but we are entering a new chapter,” he said.
He added, “It is time to thank all of those who served in this war. You are the most extraordinary asset we have. The war has ended, but our gratitude never will.”
The military will “immediately begin” vaccinating service members against COVID-19, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in an Aug. 24 memo.
Austin’s memo comes after the Food and Drug Administration announced its full approval of the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech.
Active-duty and National Guard families experience food insecurity at a rate two times higher than that of all U.S. households, experts said, marking a growing challenge for military leaders.
In addition, a recent study suggests that one in three soldiers experiences food insecurity and may use resources such as food banks to supplement meals for themselves and their families, according to an Army press release.
The Biden administration’s pick to be deputy defense secretary warned a Senate committee to prepare for tighter military budgets.
Kathleen Hicks, a former Pentagon official who most recently was senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, would be the first woman in U.S. history to serve in the second highest DoD post. She would serve under Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired Army general who is the first Black person to lead the Pentagon.
