Latest Lloyd Austin News

Chinese and Russian bombers patrolling off Alaska raise concerns about growing military cooperation

Jul. 26, 2024 00:32 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian and Chinese bombers flew together for the first time in international airspace off the coast of Alaska, in a new show of expanding military cooperation that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday raises concerns. The flights Wednesday were not...

2024 Election Latest: Harris decries suffering in Gaza, calls for cease-fire to free hostages

Jul. 25, 2024 19:18 PM EDT

Likely Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris told reporters that she is “ready” to debate Donald Trump and accused her Republican rival of “backpedaling” on their faceoff. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a long-awaited White House visit to...

Pentagon panel to review Medals of Honor given to soldiers at the Wounded Knee massacre

Jul. 24, 2024 16:27 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department will review the Medals of Honor that were given to 20 U.S. soldiers for their actions in the 1890 battle at Wounded Knee to make sure their conduct merits such an honorable award. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the review by a...

Heading to Asia, Blinken aims to shore up Indo-Pacific ties and stress US commitment to the region

Jul. 22, 2024 13:34 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ignoring the political chaos surrounding President Joe Biden’s decision to end his reelection campaign, Secretary of State Antony Blinken will head to Asia this week on a long-planned eight-day trip aimed at shoring up ties with Indo-Pacific allies and partners but with the...

Massachusetts lawmakers call on the Pentagon to ground the Osprey again until crash causes are fixed

Jul. 19, 2024 09:20 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Three Massachusetts lawmakers are pressing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to ground the V-22 Osprey aircraft again until the military can fix the root causes of multiple recent accidents, including a deadly crash in Japan. In a letter sent to Austin on Thursday,...

NATO agrees to take on coordination of some Ukraine security support. How that will work

Jul. 11, 2024 09:49 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — NATO has agreed to launch a new program to provide reliable military aid and training to Ukraine and help it get ready to join the alliance. The plan will supplement, but not replace, the two-year-old Ukraine Defense Contact Group, which was created by U.S....

Navy sailor disciplined for trying to access Biden's health records early this year

Jul. 09, 2024 20:56 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy sailor tried to access President Joe Biden's medical records early this year, but the Pentagon said no information was compromised. According to the Navy, a sailor assigned to Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command searched for the name “Joseph...

Defense Secretary Austin says the US will provide $2.3 billion more in military aid to Ukraine

Jul. 02, 2024 11:59 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Tuesday that the U.S. will soon announce an additional $2.3 billion in security assistance for Ukraine, to include anti-tank weapons, interceptors and munitions for Patriot and other air defense systems. Austin's remarks came...

US and Europe warn Lebanon's Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war

Jun. 29, 2024 20:36 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S., European and Arab mediators are pressing to keep stepped-up cross-border attacks between Israel and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah militants from spiraling into a wider Middle East war that the world has feared for months. Iran and Israel traded threats Saturday of what...

Russia keeps up pressure on the front line as Ukraine gets a boost from Western military aid

Jun. 25, 2024 21:33 PM EDT

DONETSK REGION, Ukraine (AP) — Relentless Russian attacks on Ukrainian positions defending the strategically important eastern town of Chasiv Yar are disrupting troop rotations and the delivery of some supplies, soldiers in the area say. Russian troops are seeking to press their...