It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as our country’s 28th Secretary of Defense, and I’m especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position. Let’s get to work.
Archive: Lloyd J. Austin III
4,923 posts
Archive: Lloyd J. Austin III
@SecDefAustin
28th United States Secretary of Defense
- Proud and honored to be sworn in today by @VP and ready to represent the great men and women of the Department of Defense. Let’s get to work!
- Russia is waging a war of choice to indulge the ambitions of one man. Ukraine is fighting a war of necessity to defend it democracy, it’s sovereignty, and it citizens.
- To everyone on the force: I'm proud to be back on the team.
- Ukraine's hospitals have been bombed. Their citizens have been executed. Their children have been traumatized. And yet, despite all that, they have done a magnificent job defending their sovereignty. Ukraine’s valor and skill will go down in military history.
- In my final hours at Ramstein as Secretary of Defense, I mourn for every Ukrainian person killed in Putin’s murderous war. I salute the Ukrainian troops who are fighting so bravely for their country and their freedom.
00:00 - When I retired after 41 years in the U.S. Army, I never imagined myself back at the Pentagon. But when President Biden asked me to step up and serve – I was deeply humbled. Serving as the Secretary of Defense for the past four years has been the greatest privilege of my life.
00:00 - Today, I met with senior leaders to discuss extremism in the military. As a first step, I'm ordering a stand down to occur over the next 60 days so each service, each command and each unit can have a deeper conversation about this issue. It comes down to leadership. Everyone’s.
- Today, we lost an American hero. Charles McGee, Brigadier General and one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airman, passed at the age of 102. While I am saddened by his loss, I'm also incredibly grateful for his sacrifice, his legacy, and his character. Rest in peace, General.
- I tested positive this morning for COVID-19. I requested the test today after exhibiting symptoms while at home on leave. My symptoms are mild, and I am following my physician’s directions. 1/7
- Yesterday, I ordered a comprehensive review of the sexual harassment prevention efforts within the U.S. military. As I said in my order, we all must do more, and we cannot be afraid to get creative.
- Earlier this evening, I visited with @NationalGuard troops who were deployed to the U.S. Capitol following the recent attack. I’m so grateful for their dedication during such a difficult time, and I made it clear to them we would do everything we can to support them.
- This is what unity looks like. Today, I gathered defense ministers of nearly 50 countries to discuss the latest battlefield developments in Ukraine 🇺🇦, and to work together on how we can continue to support Ukraine today and over the long haul. A few examples of our progress:
- Thank you, @POTUS, for checking in with our troops in Kabul and on the USS Nimitz. Means a lot to us all.Every year service members around the world gather to watch the Super Bowl — and tonight, I called into watch parties in Kabul and on the USS Nimitz to thank them for their service. We are forever in debt to those who sacrifice so much to keep us safe.
