Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held a press conference following the change of command for U.S. Transportation Command at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, to discuss the Middle East, the response to Hurricane Helen, Ukraine, and Japan and China. provided an update on security partnerships. The United States will participate along with the United Kingdom and Australia.
Earlier this week, Iran “launched an outrageous missile attack against Israel, demonstrating once again that the United States protected Iran and supported Israel’s defense,” Austin said.
“We condemn this brazen attack by Iran. We are in close discussion with the Israeli side about defending against this type of attack and will continue to work closely with them in the coming days,” he said.
Closer to home, the Department of Defense is actively supporting federal, state, and local efforts in response to Hurricane Helen. “This was a severe storm that claimed so many lives and changed the lives of so many people overnight. And the fact that this hit so many states and caused so much damage is a huge relief to us. “I think it’s had a really big impact on the United States and this country,” he said. “There are some challenges.”
“But we have been here before, and we will continue to rise to this challenge,” Austin added.
Thousands of National Guard troops are already supporting the home base, working under the direction of the Federal Emergency Management Agency through actions by governors and others.
“We will continue to be actively engaged on this issue and will always keep in mind our fellow Americans affected by the storm,” he said.
“Furthermore, we are committed to quickly providing Ukraine with the capabilities it needs,” Austin said, adding that he looks forward to next week’s Ukraine Defense Liaison Group meeting, which will also be attended by President Joe Biden. Ta.
Shifting focus to AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US, Mr Austin said his visit to London last week with officials from both countries had been productive. He also said targets and standards were being met that put Australia on the best path to deploying nuclear and conventionally armed submarines and other key military technologies.
