Category: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin

‘I Don’t Have Any Regrets’ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Says of Deadly Afghanistan Withdrawal

March 30, 2023
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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has shared that he has “no regrets” over the way in which the U.S. military withdrew from Afghanistan in August 2021, during which 13 service members and hundreds of civilians were killed in a suicide bombing attack near the Kabul airport. Austin made the admission before lawmakers on the House Armed Services Committee on March 29…

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Marine Veteran Warns of Continued Concerns Despite Military COVID Mandate Repeal

March 17, 2023
AMERICACCP Viruscovid vaccine mandateFDA emergency use authorization for vaccinesGil Cisnerosmilitary mandatesPoliticsU.S. Marine CorpsU.S. NavyUSUS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austinvaccine exemptionvaccine safetyVaccines & Safety
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Tommy Waller, an officer in the U.S. Marine Corps, ended his military career last year after being denied a religious accommodation to avoid the military-wide COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Though the vaccine mandate was recently repealed, Waller remains concerned that remaining unvaccinated troops could still be targeted. Waller, who served as the commander of a reserve…

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US Says China Denied Request for Call With Pentagon Chief After Balloon Downing

February 8, 2023
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The United States attempted to contact China’s communist regime after its military shot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon off the South Carolina coast on Feb. 4, but Beijing refused to take the call. The Pentagon said on Feb. 7 that it requested a phone call between U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese defense…

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US, South Korea Vow to Scale up Joint Military Drills to Deter North Korean Threats

February 1, 2023
Asia & PacificNorth KoreaSouth KoreaThe United StatesUS Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinUS-South KoreaWorld
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The United States and South Korea agreed on Tuesday to scale up their joint military exercises in a bid to counter North Korea’s military escalation. In a joint statement, U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin and South Korean defense minister Lee Jong-sup condemned North Korea’s continued provocations and vowed to take “a strong stance” against any…

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US Defense Chief to Hold Talks With ‘Critical Allies’ Amid China, North Korea Threats

January 18, 2023
Asia & PacificChinaNational SecuritySouth Koreathe philippinesUSUS Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinWorld
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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit South Korea and the Philippines to bolster ties with “critical allies” in the face of growing threats posed by the communist Chinese and North Korean regimes, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters that Austin would meet with “senior government and military…

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Pentagon Will Pay for Service Members to Travel for Abortions: Defense Secretary

October 21, 2022
contraceptiveExecutive Branchmilitary benefitsPolicies & ImpactsPoliticsSocial IssuesUSUS Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinUS News
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to “ensure access to reproductive health care” for its service members, including paying them to travel to get an abortion. In an Oct. 20 memo to the department, Austin said that the Supreme Court judgment to overturn Roe v. Wade was…

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US, Philippine Defense Chiefs Discuss Military Alliance Amid China–Taiwan Tension

October 1, 2022
Asia & PacificChinaSpecial TopicsTaiwanthe philippinesUS Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinWorld
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Top defense officials of the United States and the Philippines have pledged to bolster military cooperation to tackle regional challenges amid the growing tensions between China and Taiwan. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met with his Philippine counterpart Jose Faustino in Hawaii on Friday to discuss reinforcing the U.S.-Philippines mutual defense treaty and improving maritime…

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