Friday, March 19, 2021

Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen Hicks Delivers Virtual Remarks to National War College Students and Faculty

 March 19, 2021

Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary Of Defense; Greg Pollock, Secretary Of Defense Chair, National War College

GREG POLLOCK: Good morning, all. My name is Greg Pollock, and I am currently serving as the secretary of defense chair on the National War College faculty. It's my great pleasure to introduce our speaker today, the Honorable Dr. Kathleen Hicks, who was sworn in as the 35th deputy secretary of defense on February 9th, 2021.

Prior to her nomination as deputy secretary, Dr. Hicks was the senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger chair, and director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Her confirmation as the deputy secretary is something of a homecoming for Dr. Hicks, as she has served two prior stints at the Pentagon, including in a series of senior roles from 2009 to 2013. She was previously confirmed by the Senate in 2012 as the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy.

Deputy Secretary Hicks began her remarkable national defense career as a civil servant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1993. She served in a variety of positions over 13 years, ultimately rising from presidential management intern to the senior executive service.

Dr. Hicks holds a Ph.D. in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a master's from the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs, and a bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College.

Welcome back to the War College, Dr. Hicks. On behalf of all the faculty and students, I thank you so much for being here today, and the floor is yours.

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF DEFENSE KATHLEEN HICKS: Great, thank you, Greg, for that very kind introduction, and it is such a privilege for me to have the opportunity to meet with the National War College Class of 2021.

Over the course of my career, I've had numerous occasions to come and speak with students at National Defense University, including at the War College, and I always enjoy the chance to interact with you, as well as to have the opportunity that this venue provides for me to sharpen my own thinking.

I very much wish we could be together in person this year. I know that the COVID-19 pandemic has substantially altered the War College experience, as it has changed virtually every aspect of our lives, and certainly, of the department's operations.

I hope that you've nevertheless been able to engage the faculty and resources this year to step back from the tactical and operational aspects of your careers and deepen your thinking about the many opportunities and challenges facing all of us in the years and decades ahead.

But before I begin, I want to say that my heart is also with our Asian-American community following this week's horrific violence. All Americans share an obligation to stand up against hate in our communities, and at the Department of Defense we will lead by example in ensuring that every member of our force feels safe, respected, and valued.

This morning, I want to provide several minutes of opening remarks, but reserve the majority of our time together for a discussion with the students, and I'll be happy at that time to answer some questions from all of you.

I want to speak to you today about the decisions we are making and actions that we are undertaking at the Department of Defense to continue to sustain our technological and innovation edge over our military competitors. And because Secretary Austin and I believe that the PRC is the pacing challenge for the United States military, I will speak with a particular focus on it.

Strategic competition is a defining feature of the 21st century. This competition was not preordained or inevitable, but it was certainly predictable. In its 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review, the Defense Department opined that the United States is the world's only superpower today, and it is expected to remain so throughout the 1997-to-2015 period. But, it continued, in the period beyond 2015, there is the possibility that a regional great power or global peer competitor may emerge. The document then explicitly called out Russia and China as having the potential to be such competitors.

Over the past several decades and across multiple administrations, the economic security and governance differences between the United States and the People's Republic of China have come into sharper focus. During the Obama administration, the department joined with the rest of the national security community in undertaking a rebalance or pivot to Asia. More recently, the 2018 National Defense Strategy and the 2019 Commission on the National Defense Strategy, of which I was a member, highlighted the growth of the People's Liberation Army's capabilities and helped crystallize a bipartisan consensus around the defense challenge.

Beijing has demonstrated increased military competence and a willingness to take risks, and it has adopted a more coercive and aggressive approach to the Indo-Pacific region. In 2020 alone, over a host of issues, Beijing escalated tensions between itself and a number of its neighbors, including Australia, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines. It was involved in an armed confrontation with India along the line of actual control which resulted in the loss of life on both sides and further tightened its grip on Hong Kong, including by instituting an oppressive national security law. The PRC's actions constitute a threat to regional peace and stability, and to the rules-based international order on which our security and prosperity and those of our allies depend.

Against this backdrop, President Biden recently released his interim National Security Strategic Guidance, which highlights the PRC's increasing assertiveness. The interim guidance notes that Beijing is the only competitor potentially capable of combining its economic, diplomatic, military, and technological power to mount a sustained challenge to a stable and open international system.

To advance the interests of the American people and our democracy, the United States must be able to compete for the future of our way of life across all these dimensions. For the United States military, that will often mean serving as a supporting player to diplomatic, economic, and other soft power tools.

But it will also require the U.S. to demonstrate the will and capability to credibly deter PRC aggression. As Secretary Austin said earlier this week, during his visit to Japan, the U.S. Military, along with its allies and partners, must have the capability to outmatch the PLA.

As the deputy secretary of defense, I am particularly focused on helping Secretary Austin ensure that DOD strategy is connected to its resources. That connection runs directly and significantly through concepts and capabilities. We must invest ourselves not only financially, but also culturally in major change if we are to exploit our advantages and close critical gaps to deter determined adversaries.

And I am confident that we are pos -- poised -- excuse me -- to do so for a number of reasons. First, is his message to the force, Secretary Austin made clear that DOD is committed to both innovation and modernization. We will have a commitment to rapid experimentation, which provides the needed space to test and refine innovative operational concepts.

On the path to disruption, learning happens partly through failure, but we will seek always to act with the trust of American taxpayers in mind, and at reasonable risk.

Simply developing concepts and testing theories will not be enough. We will also be committed to bridging the so-called valley of death, ensuring we actually field needed capabilities in the force. Making room for new capabilities will require difficult choices. Where the nation's security needs are no longer being met, the department will work closely with Congress to phase out systems and approaches optimized for an earlier era.

We will also be attentive to making adjustments in the incentives that drive how we invest, select talent, and innovate. We will be asking fundamental questions, like how do civilian and military promotions encourage a culture of innovation? Do we have the right skillsets in our future force, and can we attract the nation's best talent in the coming decade?

How can we, DOD, be a more reliable and agile partner and customer? How do we secure our supply chains and ensure we have access to critical technology? What transition approaches might be helpful to defense communities and our industrial base, as we shift to future technologies?

And how does our global force management approach protect future readiness and preserve states now for experimentation and exercises that advance our operational art?

Secretary Austin and I are determined to work with military and civilian leaders in the department, and with key partners in the interagency, on Capitol Hill, and in the private and research sectors to get after these questions.

A second reason I am confident we can deter adversaries effectively is this administration's commitment to strengthening perhaps the United States' greatest asymmetric advantage, our alliances and partnerships.

The ability of the United States to pursue common economic and security goals with other nations is the cornerstone of our success, which is why rivals are attempting actively to undermine trust in us.

For the U.S. military specifically, our defense relationships and the networks between and among them strengthen interoperability, generate common norms and respect for responsible international behavior across domains, and deepen the agility of our collective global posture.

Third, the secretary and I know that meeting our greatest challenges and advancing the department's priorities will require sustained senior-level attention to the levers that create lasting institutional change. Fundamental to our approach is the promotion of healthy civil-military relations, which include civilian control of U.S. defense and national security policy.

As the secretary has said before, the role and use of the U.S. military must be clearly connected to the will of the American people. Civilian control of the military, and unity of department action in accordance with it, is vital to our success.

To that end, we are instilling discipline processes and governance structures in the defense enterprise. This includes the explicit use of bodies such as the Deputy's Management Action Group, also known as the DMAG, to advance the secretary's commitment to innovation and modernization.

Standing invitations to the DMAG have been extended to senior DOD personnel such as the secretaries of the military's departments, chiefs of the military services, combatant commanders, and OSD principal staff assistance.

I have also established subordinate governance forums on defense strategy and defense innovation, and will leverage existing bodies like the Nuclear Weapons Council to help drive civilian and uniformed leaders to build firm foundations for enduring change.

Through the deputy's newly created Workforce Council, we will bring the same vision and disciplined execution to talent management that we devote to weapons systems and budgets. A real, enduring, bipartisan consensus has emerged around the multidimensional challenge that Beijing presents.

Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that the Department of Defense should and must prioritize the PRC as the pacing challenge for the United States. As such, DOD should be confident that it will continue to receive the support required to sustain our edge.

As the department begins the congressionally mandated process of reviewing and revising its defense strategy, we must seek to ensure not simply that we have the resources we need, but also that our military concepts and capabilities can deter and, if needed, win against our most challenging rivals. We must not only succeed in the competition of ideas, but in the steadfastness of our execution.

Thank you all for allowing me the privilege of speaking with you today. I very much look forward to your questions.

Command Senior Enlisted Leader Assignment

 March 19, 2021


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

Army Command Sgt. Maj. JoAnne Naumann, currently assigned as the command sergeant major, Joint Special Operations Intelligence Brigade, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, has been selected to replace Command Master Chief Stephen White as the command senior enlisted leader for Special Operations Command - Korea.

Marine fires a machine gun from a joint light tactical vehicle

 

A Marine fires a machine gun from a joint light tactical vehicle during an amphibious combat rehearsal in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, March 8, 202

Space Domain Critical to Combat Operations Since Desert Storm

 March 19, 2021 | BY David Vergun , DOD News

This year marks the 30-year anniversary of Operation Desert Storm. Due to the Defense Department's successful use of space-based capabilities during the conflict, many experts consider Desert Storm to have been the first space war.

Many of the space capabilities initially deployed at the time, such as the Global Positioning System, have become vital components in how the United States conducts military operations. 

Troops work on a jet.

Space Force Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, deputy chief of Space Operations, today discussed the role the space domain played during conflicts and how that technology has evolved over the last 30 years at a Brookings Institution event.

During Desert Storm, in early 1991, commanders were able to keep track of the Iraqi army maneuvering through a sandstorm through the use of GPS, something that could not have occurred in previous conflicts, he said. Saltzman said he joined the Air Force the year after Desert Storm, but he was mentored by many of the leaders involved in that war.

A jet takes off.

GPS, which uses satellites to pinpoint location, also enabled the use of precision munitions, which had a devastating effect on the Iraqi army — "both physically — because we were hitting the enemy — and mentally because they had no idea how we were able to track them through the weather, through the night," he said.

Satellite communications during Desert Storm also enabled about 50% of the communications networks that were critical to command and control, he said.

Since Desert Storm, space-based capabilities have dramatically improved, Saltzman said. "If there's a missile launched on the surface of the Earth, we know about it."

A jet refuels.

The biggest change since Desert Storm is that the space domain is no longer a benign environment, he said. Adversaries realize that they cannot take on the U.S. military in direct combat, so they've decided to use space as a low-cost way to gain an asymmetric advantage.

"Now, we have a space force that's focused every day on making sure that we can protect and defend and use the space domain the way we need to, both militarily  or commercially and civilly to meet our national interests," he said.

Platoon Peak

 

Soldiers participate in a platoon external evaluation at the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Germany, March 15, 2021.

Marine Moves

 

A Marine travels in an assault amphibious vehicle before a live-fire range in Blatindan, Norway, March 16, 2021.

Pluto Rising

 

A soldier instructs a Bulgarian soldier on how to use American weaponry during Pluto Rising at Novo Selo Training Area, Bulgaria, March 18, 2021. The exercise improves NATO’s ability to conduct integrated multinational planning, enhance interoperability and deter aggression in the Black Sea region.

Locker Cleaning

 

Navy Seaman Julia Filchak cleans a ready service locker aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Mediterranean Sea, March 16, 2021.

In India, Austin Looks for Ways to Increase Cooperation With Allies

 March 19, 2021 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a stop in New Delhi today.

The secretary also met with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Austin commended the Indian leaders on their growing roles in the Indo-Pacific region and the growing engagement they have with like-minded partners across the region to promote shared goals.

A man in business attire walks along the tarmac with a woman in a military uniform; a large plane bearing the words United States of America is in the background.

The stop in India continues the Biden-Harris administration's outreach to revitalize ties with partners and allies. India is a "major defense partner" — a unique designation. India is the third country Austin has visited on his first overseas trip. He met with Japanese officials March 15-16 and South Korean leaders March 17-18. On his way to India, Austin also spoke with Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne

Tomorrow, the secretary will meet with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister of External Affairs, J. Shankar. 

The purpose of this stop in India is consistent with the themes of the overall trip, which are focused on building U.S. partnerships across the region and operationalizing the defense partnership the U.S. has with India, a senior defense official said. 

The defense partnership has grown over the years. In 2008, there was no defense trade between the United States and India. Last year, India bought $20 billion in defense capabilities from the United States, the official said.

The partnership is based on a convergence of strategic interests that the U.S. has with India. "We're increasingly looking at how we can build on the U.S.-India partnership with other like-minded partners," the official said. "It's how we can network and build our partnerships with India and with other partners, whether it's in the Indian Ocean or in the Pacific Ocean."

Multinational actions are key to this. "The secretary is looking to … to reinforce the partnership that we have with India and to encourage India's leading role in security across the Indo-Pacific region," the official said.

A man in business attire disembarks from an airplane bearing the words United States of America while six people stand in a line on the tarmac.

DOD also wants to advance interoperability with Indian forces and look for ways to work together. The convergence of ideas includes freedom of navigation, freedom of commerce and the peaceful resolution of disputes. These converging strategic interests are the basis for cooperation, the official said.

India is open to cooperating with the United States and others. India recently participated in the Malabar exercises with Japan, Australia and the U.S., and they have participated in the Rim of the Pacific exercises. "So whether it's your information-sharing on maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean region or looking at maritime security or potentially even building partner-capacity across the Indo-Pacific region, that's how you network, and that's how you build," the official said. "You are helping to pool resources and help to distribute … the burden — it helps to lighten the load for everybody to carry," the official said.

Vaccine Distribution

 

Navy Chief Petty Officer Agnieszka Grzelczyk, assigned to Navy Talent Acquisition Group Philadelphia, receives the COVID-19 vaccine at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, N.J., March 10, 2021. NTAG Philadelphia encompasses regions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia, providing recruiting services from more than 30 talent acquisition sites with the overall goal of attracting the highest quality candidates to ensure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.

Vaccination Center

 

Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class Lauren Rovi, assigned to the Combat Logistics Battalion 22, administers a COVID-19 vaccine to a local Philadelphia community member at the state-run, federally-supported Center City Community Vaccination Center in the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, March 5, 2021. Marines and sailors assigned to the CLB-22, from Camp Lejeune, N.C, are deployed in support of the Defense Department federal vaccine response operations.

Vaccine Process

 

Army soldiers assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky., receive training on the vaccine process from Federal Emergency Management Agency officials at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio; March 14, 2021. U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Defense Department support to FEMA as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.

Okinawa Offload

 

A high mobility artillery rocket system offloads from a C-130 during Exercise Castaway at Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, March 15, 2021.

Vaccine Line

 

Air Force Lt. Col. Elizabeth Hoettels, left, 423rd Medical Squadron commander, administers the COVID-19 vaccine during a mass vaccination line at Royal Air Force Alconbury, England, March 18, 2021. This is the first time the 501st Combat Support Wing has conducted a mass-vaccination line and is expected to vaccinate about 300 people. Multiple airmen and civilians from the 423rd Medical, Civil Engineering, Emergency management and Communication squadrons assisted in helping vaccines be distributed to the pathfinder community.

Beach Arrival

 

A Navy air-cushioned landing craft approaches a beach during training in Duba, Saudi Arabia, March 3, 2021.

Ready Rocket

 

Marines fire a high mobility artillery rocket system during an amphibious combat rehearsal in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, March 8, 2021.

Vaccination Site

 

Army Pfc. Wascar Paulino, a combat medic assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, administers a COVID-19 vaccination shot to Simon Foo, a Dallas County community member, at the Fair Park Community Vaccination Center in Dallas, March 15, 2021.U.S. Northern Command, through U.S. Army North, remains committed to providing continued, flexible Defense Department support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the whole-of-government response to COVID-19.

Reenlistment Oath

 

Army Capt. Jihan Chun administers the oath of enlistment to Spc. Samuel Matthews during a ceremony at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, March 16, 2021.

School Houswe Construction

 

Navy Seabees build a three room schoolhouse for the local youth in Baucau, Timor-Leste, March 4, 2021.

Taking Aim

 

Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Joseph Lopez and Lance Cpl. Zachary Jurkovski examine their sector of fire during Exercise Castaway at Ie Shima, Okinawa, Japan, March 13, 2021.

Force Fuel

 

Marine Corps Cpl. Selina Lopez prepares to refuel a UH-1Y Venom during an amphibious combat rehearsal in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, March 9, 2021.

Sea Sail

 

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower transits the Mediterranean Sea, March 17, 2021.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks Addresses the National War College, March 19, 11:30 a.m. EDT

 March 19, 2021


Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks will conduct a virtual engagement with the students and faculty of the National War College today, March 19, at 11:30 a.m. EDT, on actions the Department of Defense is undertaking to sustain the United States’ technological and innovative edge over its adversaries. Deputy Secretary Hicks’ opening remarks will be livestreamed at www.defense.gov/Watch/Live-Events/.

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s Visit to India, Day 1

March 19, 2021

Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby provided the following readout: 

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III arrived to India March 19 for a first day of meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.  Secretary Austin commended India’s leadership role in the Indo-Pacific and growing engagement with like-minded partners across the region to promote shared goals. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to promote a free and open regional order.  Both sides exchanged perspectives on shared challenges confronting the region and committed to further strengthen their broad ranging and robust defence cooperation. 

 

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Phone Call with Australian Acting Minister for Defence Payne

 March 19, 2021


Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Australian Acting Minister for Defence Marise Payne to discuss his ongoing trip to the Indo-Pacific region, the first Cabinet-level overseas trip for the Biden-Harris Administration.

Secretary Austin discussed his productive meetings in Seoul and Tokyo alongside Secretary of State Blinken as well shared views on other regional issues.  

The call reaffirmed the enduring strength of the U.S.-Australia Alliance – the Unbreakable Alliance. Secretary Austin expressed appreciation for Australia’s continued partnership in upholding a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.  

Austin Stays in Touch With Australian Leaders During Indo-Pacific Trip

 March 19, 2021 | BY Jim Garamone , DOD News

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III continued his outreach to Indo-Pacific allies and partners with a call to Australia's Foreign Minister Marise Payne even as he was flying to meet with Indian leaders in New Delhi.

Austin made the call to highlight the importance and the strength of the U.S.-Australia Alliance, often called "the Unbreakable Alliance," said David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific affairs. Helvey spoke to the press traveling with Austin about the call.

Man in business attire thanks people in military uniforms.

Austin thanked Payne, who also serves temporarily as Australia’s defense minister, for Australia's support in Afghanistan and in the Middle East as part of the Defeat-ISIS campaign. He also praised Australia for the increased investment and involvement in building capacity and capabilities in Indo-Pacific nations. Helvey said Australia is a leading voice in the Indo-Pacific region.

Austin also spoke with Payne about the quadrilateral process. The leaders of Australia, India, Japan and the United States — called the Quad — held a virtual meeting March 12 that discussed the happenings in the Indo-Pacific. While there is a security consulting part to the Quad, it is not a formal treaty. Rather it is a way for like-minded nations to work together, Helvey said.

Man in business attire boards plane.

Austin shared some of his thoughts and reflections on his talks with Japanese and South Korean foreign affairs and defense leaders during his meetings in Tokyo and Seoul.

"It was a good exchange," Helvey said. "And there's a lot of commonality of views and assessments between the United States and Australia on regional security challenges like China and North Korea."

The two leaders committed to stay in touch, and to strengthen the U.S.-Australia Treaty. The defense officials want to increase the linkages among like-minded nations throughout the region in support of common objectives and support the rules-based international order.