Lloyd Austin

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4 Missing After Helicopter Goes Down in Drill With US

Search for Australian crew is centered off coast of Queensland

(Newser) - Four air crew members were missing after an Australian army helicopter ditched into waters off the Queensland state coast during joint military exercises with the US, officials said Saturday. The MRH-90 Taipan helicopter went down near Lindeman Island, a Great Barrier Reef tourist resort, around about 11pm Friday, exercise director...

Marines Hold Ceremony to Transfer Power but Can't

Commandant's position is one of the military jobs frozen by senator

(Newser) - Gen. David Berger's retirement arrived on schedule Monday after four years atop the Marine Corps, and a colorful ceremony was held, but politics got in the way of a smooth handover of power. "You know, it's been more than a century since the US Marine Corps has...

US Just Made a Move to Counter China

US forces get access to 4 more sites in the Philippines

(Newser) - The US has struck a military deal with the Philippines in what the New York Times and the Washington Post see as a clear move to counter China's might in the region. Defense chief Lloyd Austin and Philippines leader Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Thursday that US forces will have...

US: We See No Signs Putin Will Use Dirty Bomb

Defense chief Austin says Pentagon is keeping a close eye on Russia amid heightened rhetoric

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday that the US has still not seen anything to indicate that Russian President Vladimir Putin has decided to use a dirty bomb , per the AP . He said there are continued concerns that the conflict could escalate, and he said that’s why it...

US, UK Blast Russian Official's Dirty Bomb Claims as 'False'

Nation's defense minister alleges Ukraine has plans to use dirty bomb, which Ukraine refutes

(Newser) - A phone call over the weekend between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his counterpart in Russia, Sergei Shoigu, resulted in an alarming assertion from the latter. A US administration official says that Shoigu told Austin, who'd also talked to Shoigu on Friday for the first time in months,...

US, China Exchange Warnings on Taiwan

Austin meets defense minister at forum in Singapore

(Newser) - Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin stressed American support for Taiwan on Saturday, suggesting at Asia's premier defense forum that recent Chinese military activity around the self-governing island threatens to change the status quo. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin noted a "steady increase in provocative and...

High-Tech Arms Going to Ukraine Include Harpoon Launcher

International meeting of defense leaders discusses sending more advanced weapons

(Newser) - Nearly 50 defense leaders from around the world met Monday and agreed to send more advanced weapons to Ukraine, including a harpoon launcher and missiles to protect its coast, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters. And Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that "low-level"...

Austin, Blinken Will Be in Kyiv on Sunday, Zelensky Says

White House and Pentagon don't immediately confirm trip

(Newser) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that he didn't think it was a "big secret" that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are on their way to see him, but American officials acted like it was. Zelensky mentioned the visit during a press...

Ukraine Worried About 'Panic' in the West

US defense chief urges Putin to back away from a confict

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin joined the list Friday of political and military leaders around the world urging Russia to turn away from a fight at the Ukraine border. "There's no reason that this situation has to devolve into conflict," Austin said, per the Hill , adding that Russian...

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Has COVID
Defense Secretary Has COVID
Jan 3, 2022 12:52 AM CST

Defense Secretary Has COVID

He's experiencing mild symptoms, he says

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Sunday he has tested positive for COVID-19 and was experiencing mild symptoms while quarantining at home, the AP reports. In a statement Sunday night, Austin said he plans to attend key meetings and discussions virtually in the coming week “to the degree possible.”...

Pentagon Warns About 'Likes' on Extremist Content

Defense Department updates guidelines for military personnel

(Newser) - Alarmed that military personnel took part in the Capitol riot in January, Pentagon officials issued new guidelines Monday about participation in extremist organizations. At the same time, the military reported that the number of active service members involved in extremism is increasing, CBS News reports. The guidelines don't prohibit...

Generals Contradict Biden on Afghanistan Exit
Generals Contradict
Biden on Afghanistan Exit
THE RUNDOWN
Sep 28, 2021 5:30 PM CDT

Generals Contradict Biden on Afghanistan Exit

They say they wanted to keep force of 2.5K in the country to prevent collapse

(Newser) - In an ABC interview last month, President Biden defended the chaotic US exit from Afghanistan, denying that advisers had wanted him to keep 2,500 troops in the country. He was contradicted by top military officials during a heated six-hour Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday, the Hill reports. Gen....

Cadets Assured They're Ready for Anything

Defense secretary tells West Point graduates the threats include cyber weapons and pandemics

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told US Military Academy cadets Saturday they were graduating during "exceptionally tough circumstances," but that West Point prepared them to face the extraordinary threats ahead and the ones already here. Austin spoke to about 1,000 cadets becoming Army second lieutenants in a ceremony...

Austin Travels, Unannounced, to Afghanistan for Talks

Defense secretary, Ghani meet after Biden said withdrawal date would be tough to meet

(Newser) - With the scheduled May 1 withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan approaching, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin flew unannounced to Kabul on Sunday for talks, saying the US wants "a transition to something else." In the first visit by a member of the Biden administration, Austin met with...

FEMA Asked DOD for Help on Vaccines. The DOD Delivered

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has OK'd the deployment of 1K troops to vaccination sites

(Newser) - The Pentagon will deploy troops to assist getting Americans vaccinated against COVID-19, the White House said Friday. Coronavirus senior adviser Andy Slavitt announced that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved a request for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, per the AP . It means about 1,000 active-duty military...

Biden Repeals Trump's Transgender Rule at Pentagon

President reverses ban, allows trans recruits to enlist

(Newser) - President Obama allowed transgender troops to serve in the military, President Trump reversed that decision , and now President Biden has brought us back full circle. Biden on Monday fulfilled a campaign pledge by once again allowing openly transgender troops to enlist, reports Politico . He directed new defense chief Lloyd Austin...

US Has Its First Black Defense Secretary

Lloyd Austin wins confirmation to run the Pentagon

(Newser) - Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army's elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation Friday to become the nation's first Black secretary of defense, per the AP . The 93-2 vote gave President Biden his second Cabinet...

Biden Asks Trump Holdover to Run Pentagon, Temporarily

David Norquist will run Pentagon until Biden pick Lloyd Austin is confirmed

(Newser) - The history books will reflect that Joe Biden's very first defense secretary was an appointee of Donald Trump. But David Norquist will not be in the role very long. Politico reports that Biden will ask Norquist, who currently serves as deputy secretary of defense, to run the Pentagon until...

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