Friday, January 22, 2021

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's Call with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

 Jan. 22, 2021


Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by phone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg shortly after arriving at the Pentagon today.  The call was his first made to a foreign leader as the Defense Secretary, and reinforces the importance of the NATO Alliance to the United States.  

The two leaders discussed the importance of our shared values, the current security environment including maintaining a strong NATO deterrence and defense posture, and the ongoing missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.  They also briefly reviewed the upcoming NATO Defense Ministerial and agreed to discuss it again in more detail in the coming weeks.

The Secretary said he looked forward to developing a close working relationship with Stoltenberg and both leaders pledged to consult in the months ahead.

Lightning Launch

 

Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Alston Adams signals to an F-35B Lightning II as it takes off from the flight deck of the USS Makin Island in the Indian Ocean, Jan. 12, 2021.

Osprey Ops

 

Marine Corps Sgt. William Easter, right, and Lance Cpl. Nathaniel Hinkle remove an engine from an MV-22 Osprey aboard the USS Makin Island in the Indian Ocean, Jan. 19, 2021.

Formation Flight

 

Four Air Force MC-130J Command IIs fly in formation off the coast of Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 6, 2021.

Course Crawl

 

Soldiers low-crawl during an obstacle course validation exercise at Fort Gordon, Ga., Jan. 21, 2021, before the Army Best Medic Competition.

Day One Message to the Force From Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III

 Jan. 22, 2021


I am honored to have this chance to serve again and to do so alongside you and your families. My wife, Charlene, and I know all too well the sacrifices you make to keep this country safe. That safety is job one, and I promise to work as hard as you do at it.

The way I see it, my job as Secretary of Defense is to make you more effective at doing yours. That means ensuring you have the tools, technology, weapons, and training to deter and defeat our enemies. It means establishing sound policy and strategy and assigning you clear missions. It means putting a premium on cooperation with our allies and partners. And it means living up to our core values, the same ones our fellow citizens expect of us.

Right now, of course, doing my job also means helping our country get control of the pandemic, which has killed more than 400,000 Americans. You have already come to the aid of our Nation's health care professionals. You can expect that mission to continue. But we must help the Federal Government move further and faster to eradicate the devastating effects of the coronavirus. To that end, we will also do everything we can to vaccinate and care for our workforce and to look for meaningful ways to alleviate the pressure this pandemic has exerted on you and your families.

None of us succeeds at this business alone. Defending the country requires teamwork and cooperation. It requires a certain humility, a willingness to learn, and absolute respect for one another. I know you share my devotion to these qualities.

I am proud to be back on your team.

The Day One Message to the Force memo can be found here.

Submitting Paperwork

 

A Minnesota National Guardsman completes a questionnaire prior to receiving the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination at the Army Aviation Support Facility in St. Cloud, Minn., Jan. 9, 2021. In preparation of an upcoming deployment, approximately 60 soldiers assigned to Bravo Company, 2nd General Support Aviation Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, received the first of a two-dose series of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination.

Seniors Get Vaccine

 

Barbara Bufano gets the COVID-19 vaccine at Naval Hospital Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla., Jan. 15, 2021. Vaccines are currently being offered to on-base health care personnel and first responders assigned to Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Naval Station Mayport and critical national capabilities forces, deploying forces, frontline essential workers, and beneficiaries age 75 and older. COVID-19 vaccines are not available by walk-in for non-hospital personnel.

 

Army and Air Force service members assigned to the Michigan National Guard, now part of a newly formed Spartan Joint Task Force team, work with the Gleaners Community and Auxiliary Food Bank’s in Detroit, Mich., Jan. 20, 2021. The teams prepare pallets of food orders weighing 40,000 lbs. daily in the Gleaners warehouses for 400 agencies in five counties that serve local charities in Southeastern Michigan. Since March, Michigan National Guard teams have supported food banks across Michigan, distributing millions of pounds of food to local communities.

Preparing Vaccine

 

Navy seamen assigned to the Naval Hospital Okinawa, prepare the COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan 21, 2021. This was the second distribution of the vaccine on Camp Hansen since the Defense Department began administering it to service members in Okinawa, Dec. 27, 2020.

New Defense Secretary Arrives at Pentagon, Convenes COVID Meeting

 Jan. 22, 2021 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III arrived at the Pentagon today and hit the ground running, greeting the senior staff and then immediately heading into meetings on combating the coronavirus.

The Senate confirmed Austin at 11 a.m.; the vote was 93-2. He arrived at the Pentagon around noon and was "administratively sworn in" soon afterward.

Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III stands next to a man holding up his right hand facing another man.

Austin chaired a COVID-19 briefing attended by Deputy Secretary David L. Norquist, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, members of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Staff, DOD COVID-19 Coordinator Max Rose, the acting service secretaries, the service military chiefs and combatant commanders. The Senate and the House of Representatives waived the requirement that a defense secretary must have been retired seven years before assuming the position. Austin assured congressional leaders that he fully believes in civilian control of the U.S. military.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Austin addressed this issue. "I was a general and a soldier, and I'm proud of that," he said. "But today, I appear before you as a citizen, the son of a postal worker and a homemaker from Thomasville, Georgia, and I'm proud of that, too. If you confirm me, I am prepared to serve now as a civilian, fully acknowledging the importance of this distinction."

A man gestures as he speaks.

Austin, a 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., retired from the Army as the commander of U.S. Central Command in 2016.

In some of his first acts, Austin is contacting allies and partners around the world to assure them of America's security commitments. His first call to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, is proof of the importance Austin places on allies. 

Conquering COVID tops the immediate list of missions, but Austin also must configure the department to face China, which he called America's "pacing threat" in his testimony. He also must consider the actions and strategy of a resurgent Russia. Iran remains a U.S. concern in the Middle East, and U.S. troops are still deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. North Korea is a wild card in the Indo-Pacific.

Two men wearing protective face masks bump elbows in front of the Pentagon entrance.

Threats from violent extremism remain. Although the physical caliphate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has been eliminated, remnants of the group are still dangerous, DOD officials have said. Other groups, which share the toxic ideology, exist in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Austin also must keep his eyes on the future, continuing to build a department that has the capabilities needed to deter any foe and, if deterrence fails, to defeat that threat.

Readout of President Joseph R. Biden Jr.'s Telephone Call to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III

 Jan. 22, 2021


Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout:

President Biden called Secretary Austin this afternoon, shortly after his arrival at the Pentagon.  The President congratulated the Secretary on his swift confirmation and thanked the Secretary for agreeing to serve the country again.  Secretary Austin expressed his gratitude to the President for his trust and confidence and for his support during the confirmation process. 

Safe Landing

 

A soldier comes to a safe landing during airborne operations at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Jan. 8, 2021.

Secretary of Defense Arrival and Day One Activities

 Jan. 22, 2021


Newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is expected to arrive at the Pentagon at noon.  It will be open press.

He will then be administratively sworn in by Mr. Tom Muir, Acting Director of Washington Headquarters Services.  Immediately upon completion of that swearing-in, he will receive an intelligence briefing.

Secretary Austin will meet with Deputy Secretary Norquist at 1:30 p.m., followed by a meeting with both Mr. Norquist and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Milley.

At 2:30 p.m., the Secretary will chair a COVID briefing, attended by the Deputy Secretary, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, OSD staff, DOD COVID Coordinator Max Rose, Service Secretaries, Service Chiefs, and Combatant Commanders.  Many of these participants will be joining virtually.  All appropriate COVID-prevention guidelines will be observed for those attending in person.

He will speak by phone with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at 3:45 p.m.

At 4 p.m., he will receive operational briefings about China and the Middle East.

The rest of his afternoon will be taken up with administrative check-in procedures.

NOTE: Some of these times are subject to change.

Command Senior Enlisted Leader Assignment

 Jan. 22, 2021


The Office of the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (OSEAC) announced today the following assignment:

Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. James K. Porterfield, currently assigned as the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force sergeant major, Camp Pendleton, California, has been selected to replace Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Paul G. McKenna as the command senior enlisted leader for North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

Vaccination Tracker

 

Army Spc. George Riley creates operation tracking tables in support of mass COVID-19 vaccinations administered by the New York State Department of Health at the Javits Convention Center in New York City, Jan. 14, 2021.

Vaccination Center

 

Marines receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Jan. 20, 2020.