https://www.scmp.com/rss/517780/feed The latest news on Lloyd Austin, civil servant and United States Secretary of Defense, including political news and updates.<br /> en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Associated Press Associated Press US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has asked the Army’s top uniformed officer to step down, the Pentagon said on Thursday without giving a reason for the departure as the United States wages a war against Iran. General Randy George “will be retiring from his position as the 41st Chief of Staff of the Army effective immediately”, said Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman. George has held the post of Army chief of staff, which typically runs for four years, since August 2023 under the Biden... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348861/hegseth-ousts-armys-top-uniformed-officer-even-us-wages-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3348861/hegseth-ousts-armys-top-uniformed-officer-even-us-wages-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 21:23:47 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo So, The X-Files, the hit American science fiction TV series from the 1990s, turned out to be a docudrama. Going by a new investigative report by The Wall Street Journal, there really was a vast government conspiracy over the existence of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) and their associated myths such as alien sightings. However, it wasn’t so much that the US government suppressed – as per the show – the truth about little green men in flying saucers visiting the Earth with superior alien... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3314416/sorry-there-are-no-ufos-just-vast-us-deep-state-conspiracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3314416/sorry-there-are-no-ufos-just-vast-us-deep-state-conspiracy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Jun 2025 20:31:15 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo After listening to US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth’s all-out attack on “communist China” at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, some might have wondered what the Chinese people would make of it. But as a Chinese delegate listening to him live, I was wondering what Hegseth’s boss, US President Donald Trump, would think. In February, Trump called US Vice-President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich bashing European allies “brilliant”. This time, we haven’t had his thoughts. I wondered, not only... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313856/why-us-defence-chiefs-attack-china-wont-find-favour-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3313856/why-us-defence-chiefs-attack-china-wont-find-favour-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:30:12 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma The United States’ top commander in the Indo-Pacific region said Chinese drills around Taiwan are “rehearsals” rather than exercises, adding to US warnings about China’s growing military strength. “We face a profoundly consequential time in the Indo-Pacific,” said Admiral Samuel Paparo. “China is on a dangerous course.” Paparo, who is head of the US Indo-Pacific Command, was speaking at a think tank event in Washington. US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth similarly said that China could pose an... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3312871/us-spotlights-taiwan-risks-chinas-2027-defence-goal-nears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3312871/us-spotlights-taiwan-risks-chinas-2027-defence-goal-nears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Jun 2025 09:01:30 +0000 Hayley Wong,Amber Wang Hayley Wong,Amber Wang US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Indo-Pacific defence chiefs on Saturday that China wanted to “fundamentally alter the region’s status quo”, and that American allies must step up defence investments. Speaking in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence conference, Hegseth said that the threat posed by China was “real and could be imminent”. He said this included Beijing’s efforts to build the capacity to take over Taiwan by force by 2027, while adding that “President... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312561/shangri-la-dialogue-pete-hegseth-warns-china-aims-alter-indo-pacific-status-quo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3312561/shangri-la-dialogue-pete-hegseth-warns-china-aims-alter-indo-pacific-status-quo?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 02:43:24 +0000 China has not only expanded its number of operational nuclear warheads to 600 but improved the diversity and sophistication of its arsenal, the Pentagon said in a report released on Wednesday. “China had a very, very small, relatively outdated nuclear arsenal” two decades ago, said Michael Chase, US deputy assistant secretary of defence for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, at the report’s launch at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank. “What we’ve seen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3291438/chinas-nuclear-warheads-total-600-and-raise-strategic-stability-concerns-pentagon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3291438/chinas-nuclear-warheads-total-600-and-raise-strategic-stability-concerns-pentagon?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Dec 2024 23:14:11 +0000 US President Joe Biden’s top diplomat will talk to his South Korean counterpart “very soon” and Pentagon officials have been in contact with their opposite numbers in the country “at multiple levels” following South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s brief imposition of martial law, according to two American government spokesmen. “There are many questions that need to be answered regarding the decisions surrounding those developments,” US State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told... https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3289582/top-us-diplomat-antony-blinken-talk-south-korea-following-martial-law-decision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/us/diplomacy/article/3289582/top-us-diplomat-antony-blinken-talk-south-korea-following-martial-law-decision?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 22:38:33 +0000 A US Defense Department disagreement over how to bring to justice the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks and two others has thrown the cases into disarray, and surfaced tension between the desire of some victims’ families to see a final legal reckoning and the significant obstacles that may make that impossible. Defence lawyers and some legal experts blame many of the endless delays on what they call the “original sin” haunting the military prosecutions: the illegal torture that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3274024/torture-9/11-suspects-original-sin-holding-back-plea-deal-and-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3274024/torture-9/11-suspects-original-sin-holding-back-plea-deal-and-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Aug 2024 14:53:18 +0000 The United States will expand its military readiness and surveillance in the Arctic given heightened Chinese and Russian interest coupled with new risks brought on by accelerating climate change, the Pentagon said in a new report. Measures are needed “to ensure the Arctic does not become a strategic blind spot” as melting ice makes the region more accessible economically and militarily, according to the Defence Department’s 2024 Arctic Strategy released on Monday. “We’ve seen growing... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3271479/pentagon-bolster-response-china-russia-melting-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3271479/pentagon-bolster-response-china-russia-melting-arctic?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2024 21:05:15 +0000 On US Defence Secretary Floyd Austin’s recent visit to Cambodia, human rights and China’s military presence in Cambodia, two topics discussed on the previous US visit, received little attention. This was surprising as Chinese influence in Cambodia continues to grow while Cambodia’s human rights record has not improved. Instead, the main discussion topic over the one-day visit, during which Austin met Senate President Hun Sen, Prime Minister Hun Manet and Defence Minister Tea Seiha, was how to... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269812/why-us-suddenly-going-soft-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3269812/why-us-suddenly-going-soft-cambodia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2024 21:30:08 +0000 The Shangri-La Dialogue is often cited as Asia’s premier security conference, but the Singapore gathering can no longer afford to focus exclusively on the Indo-Pacific’s geopolitical challenges. This year’s gathering – attended by defence officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world – tackled issues but also highlighted divisions among the participants beyond East Asia to Europe and the Middle East. Much of the three-day forum centred on tensions between the United States... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3265290/shangri-la-dialogue-shows-us-china-rivalry-extends-far-beyond-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3265290/shangri-la-dialogue-shows-us-china-rivalry-extends-far-beyond-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Jun 2024 12:30:10 +0000 SCMP Plus provides early access for premium subscribers to some opinion articles. This article will be published soon on SCMP.com. The Shangri-La Dialogue is often cited as Asia’s premier security conference, but the Singapore gathering can no longer afford to focus exclusively on the Indo-Pacific’s geopolitical challenges. This year’s gathering – attended by defence officials, government leaders and diplomats from around the world – tackled issues but also highlighted divisions among the... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3265356/shangri-la-dialogue-shows-us-china-rivalry-extends-far-beyond-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3265356/shangri-la-dialogue-shows-us-china-rivalry-extends-far-beyond-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 09:31:49 +0000 China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun met US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in person for the first time on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. It was also the first meeting in two years between the two countries’ defence ministers, marking a milestone in communication since a low point reached in 2022. The Singapore forum for regional defence and security is meant to provide a venue for such discussions. A Chinese defence ministry official described the Dong-Austin meeting as... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3265338/us-china-hash-out-defence-issues-shangri-la-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3265338/us-china-hash-out-defence-issues-shangri-la-dialogue?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jun 2024 09:14:14 +0000 Washington is seeking a “new convergence” in resolving disputes through dialogue, “not coercion and certainly not through so-called punishment”, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said on Saturday, stressing the importance of alliances and partnership in the Indo-Pacific. In a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin said “dialogue is not a reward but a necessity” and pledged to hold more talks with China. “The key issue is that we’re talking. And as long as we’re talking, we’re... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3264992/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-pledges-hold-more-talks-china-says-dialogue-not-reward-necessity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3264992/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-pledges-hold-more-talks-china-says-dialogue-not-reward-necessity?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jun 2024 03:03:36 +0000 When defence ministers from around the world – but mainly from the Asia-Pacific region – met in Singapore for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue last year, the US-China relationship was at a low ebb. Beijing refused to agree to a meeting of then defence minister Li Shangfu with US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin owing to US sanctions imposed on Li. As the curtain is set to rise on Friday on the annual meeting of defence ministers organised by the Institute for International Strategic Studies, a... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3264712/shangri-la-dialogue-gives-us-china-defence-ministers-place-resume-face-face-communication?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3264712/shangri-la-dialogue-gives-us-china-defence-ministers-place-resume-face-face-communication?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 May 2024 09:02:08 +0000 The United States is not planning to send military trainers into Ukraine and would only be likely to do so when the war there with Russia is over, the top US general said on Monday, after France opened the door to sending troops to train Kyiv’s forces. More than two years into the war, Russian forces are slowly advancing in eastern Ukraine, exploiting Ukrainian shortages of manpower and months of delays in arms supplies from the West. That has raised questions about what more the United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3263422/us-has-no-plan-send-military-trainers-ukraine-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3263422/us-has-no-plan-send-military-trainers-ukraine-top-general-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 19:42:01 +0000 The Kremlin on Monday dismissed a report that Russian military intelligence may be behind the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” ailment that has afflicted US diplomats and spies globally. Insider, a Russia-focused investigative media group based in Riga, Latvia reported that members of a Russian military intelligence (GRU) unit known as 29155 had been placed at the scene of reported health incidents involving US personnel. The year-long Insider investigation in collaboration with 60 Minutes and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257498/kremlin-dismisses-report-russia-behind-havana-syndrome-affecting-us-spies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3257498/kremlin-dismisses-report-russia-behind-havana-syndrome-affecting-us-spies?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Apr 2024 19:41:47 +0000 US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, who is fighting prostate cancer, transferred his duties to his deputy hours after being admitted to a critical care unit in Washington for what a Pentagon spokesman called “an emergent bladder issue”. Deputy Secretary of Defence Kathleen Hicks “assumed the functions and duties” just before 5pm, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement, adding that Austin was still receiving treatment and that the White House and Congress had been informed. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3251708/us-defence-chief-austin-hospital-again-weeks-after-controversial-secret-medical-stays?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3251708/us-defence-chief-austin-hospital-again-weeks-after-controversial-secret-medical-stays?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Feb 2024 23:05:12 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday apologised for failing to tell President Joe Biden and senior staff about his recent prostate cancer diagnosis ahead of time, adding that the health scare was a “gut punch” that had shaken him. Austin, 70, also apologised for the way he handled his subsequent hospitalisation, which was kept secret from the public, senior staff and Biden himself for days. “[Biden] has responded with a grace and warm heart that anyone who knows President Biden would... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250634/pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-apologises-concealing-cancer-hospitalisation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250634/pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-apologises-concealing-cancer-hospitalisation?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Feb 2024 17:08:57 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Monday that the United States would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after a drone attack by Iran-backed militants that killed three US troops and wounded dozens more. Austin returned to work at the Pentagon on Monday after nearly a month’s absence because of prostate cancer and was meeting Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The attack on Sunday was the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Gaza war erupted in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250220/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-vows-all-necessary-actions-after-us-troop-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3250220/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-vows-all-necessary-actions-after-us-troop-deaths?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jan 2024 17:39:11 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has been released from Walter Reed hospital, he said on Monday, after initially concealing his stay there from both the White House and Congress. Austin kept US President Joe Biden and lawmakers in the dark about being diagnosed with prostate cancer for weeks and did not tell them for days about his hospitalisation on January 1 for complications from his treatment. While the situation has been a headache for Biden, putting him on the defence and providing an... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248546/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-released-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248546/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-released-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jan 2024 17:26:39 +0000 White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said on Sunday Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s doctors think he may still need some additional care. “We’ll see, you know, when he can be released, but obviously they still feel like he may need some additional care … part of that is just physical therapy,” Kirby told CBS’ Face the Nation. Kirby said “there is routine regular communication” between President Joe Biden and Austin and that the secretary remains “actively involved and engaged”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248409/lloyd-austins-doctors-think-he-may-need-additional-care-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3248409/lloyd-austins-doctors-think-he-may-need-additional-care-white-house-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Jan 2024 18:04:21 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has prostate cancer, doctors said on Tuesday, a diagnosis US President Joe Biden was not told about for around a month. “He was informed by the chief of staff earlier this morning and I’m not going to go into more detail on that,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told a briefing, calling the lapse “not optimal”. Austin, 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre on December 22, where he underwent surgery to treat the cancer.... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247863/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-has-prostate-cancer-doctors-reveal-amid-hospital-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247863/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-has-prostate-cancer-doctors-reveal-amid-hospital-row?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Jan 2024 20:47:03 +0000 US President Joe Biden is not considering firing Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin over his failure to disclose a hospitalisation for days, the White House said on Monday, as prominent Republicans called for the Pentagon chief to be removed. Austin, who sits just below Biden at the top of the chain of command of the US military, withheld his multi-day hospitalisation, which started on New Year’s Day, from the president and the public for several days. “There is no plan for anything other than for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247721/trump-calls-removal-pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-biden-has-no-plans-fire-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247721/trump-calls-removal-pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-biden-has-no-plans-fire-him?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jan 2024 17:12:33 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin’s hospitalisation was kept far more secret than previously known, officials disclosed on Sunday, adding his deputy to a long list of people right up to US President Joe Biden who were kept in the dark for days. Austin, who is 70, was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre’s Intensive Care Unit on New Year’s Day after experiencing severe pain following a still-undisclosed elective medical procedure on December 22. Austin sits just below Biden at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247543/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austins-hospital-stay-was-kept-secret-days-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247543/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austins-hospital-stay-was-kept-secret-days-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jan 2024 20:39:05 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin was hospitalised earlier this week due to complications from a medical procedure, the Pentagon said on Friday, at a time when Washington is facing a growing crisis in the Middle East. Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre on the evening of January 1 “for complications following a recent elective medical procedure”, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said in a statement, without providing details on the nature of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247492/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-hospitalised-due-medical-complications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3247492/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-hospitalised-due-medical-complications?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jan 2024 23:27:06 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday urged Israel to protect civilians as it battles Hamas in Gaza, saying that shielding non-combatants is necessary for victory in the urban fight against the Palestinian militant group. Fighting between Israel and Hamas resumed the day before after a week-long truce between the two sides collapsed, with both sides blaming the other for the breakdown of the deal and the resumption of violence. Austin told the Reagan National Defence Forum in California... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3243656/beat-hamas-israel-must-shield-gaza-civilians-us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3243656/beat-hamas-israel-must-shield-gaza-civilians-us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Dec 2023 21:20:22 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Monday in a high-profile push to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine even as US and international resources are stretched by the new global risks raised by the Israel-Hamas conflict. Austin, who travelled to Kyiv by train from Poland, met President Volodymyr Zelensky, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov and Chief of Staff General Valerii Zaluzhny. “The message that I bring you today, Mr President, is that the United States... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3242191/ukraine-war-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-show-support-amid-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3242191/ukraine-war-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-makes-surprise-visit-kyiv-show-support-amid-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Nov 2023 10:10:31 +0000 Top-level US-China military talks must wait until Beijing appoints a new defence minister, the Pentagon said on Thursday, a day after Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping agreed to resume direct military communications. “As these agreements were just reached yesterday, we know that we have work to do with [China’s] military to solidify these principles for actions,” said Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon press secretary. US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin “will meet with his counterpart when that... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3241840/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-meet-chinese-counterpart-when-person-named?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3241840/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-meet-chinese-counterpart-when-person-named?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Nov 2023 23:15:12 +0000 The Pentagon missed a “good opportunity” to send US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin to the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, where he could have met top brass of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and resumed long-stalled dialogues between senior military officials, a Chinese lieutenant general has said. “Does he really want to meet senior Chinese officials? If he genuinely wanted to make contact, then he should have come,” He Lei, former vice-president of the PLA Academy of Military Sciences, told the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239871/lloyd-austins-absence-xiangshan-forum-missed-opportunity-pentagon-says-chinese-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3239871/lloyd-austins-absence-xiangshan-forum-missed-opportunity-pentagon-says-chinese-general?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Oct 2023 14:07:37 +0000 A senior Chinese general lashed out at US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin on Saturday, accusing him of “seriously distorting the facts and truth” of Taiwan’s status. At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Lieutenant General Jing Jianfeng, vice chief of the Central Military Commission’s Joint Staff Department, said Austin had tried to “pull out of Beijing’s one-China principle”. “The US’ comments on Taiwan ignore the facts, distort the truth and are completely wrong,” Jing said on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222838/shangri-la-dialogue-chinese-general-hits-out-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222838/shangri-la-dialogue-chinese-general-hits-out-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-over-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2023 06:02:59 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin delivered a veiled swipe at his Chinese counterpart in a speech to a key security conference in Singapore on Saturday morning, saying the right time for dialogue is any time for responsible defence leaders. Addressing hundreds of officials and analysts at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Austin said: “For responsible defence leaders, the right time to talk is any time. The right time to talk is every time, and the right time to talk is now.” “And the more that we talk,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222826/shangri-la-dialogue-us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-doubles-down-security-alliance-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3222826/shangri-la-dialogue-us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-doubles-down-security-alliance-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jun 2023 01:11:46 +0000 Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said the US won’t stop until it finds out how a trove of classified documents on Ukraine, Israel and other nations appeared online, in his first public remarks about the embarrassing leak. “We take this very seriously,” Austin told reporters at a briefing on Tuesday. “And we will continue to investigate, and turn over every rock, until we find the source of this and the extent of it.” Austin said he was first briefed on April 6 about what he called “reports of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3216737/us-will-turn-over-every-rock-find-who-leaked-classified-military-documents-lloyd-austin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3216737/us-will-turn-over-every-rock-find-who-leaked-classified-military-documents-lloyd-austin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Apr 2023 01:07:17 +0000 The United States will help Taiwan “develop the capability to defend itself” against an invasion by Beijing, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Sunday, stopping short of President Joe Biden’s vow to send troops to the island. “We’re committed to helping Taiwan develop the capability to defend itself,” Austin said in an interview with CNN. Washington has historically maintained a policy of “strategic ambiguity” on whether it would intervene militarily if Taiwan were attacked by... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3194649/pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-vows-us-will-help-taiwan-defend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3194649/pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin-vows-us-will-help-taiwan-defend?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Oct 2022 06:45:32 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday he has tested positive for Covid-19 and is experiencing mild symptoms and will quarantine at home. It is the second time Austin has got the coronavirus. In a statement, Austin, 69, said his is fully vaccinated and has received two boosters. He said he will quarantine for the next five days in accordance with CDC guidelines and “will retain all authorities and plan to maintain my normal work schedule virtually from home”. Austin said his last... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3188999/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-positive-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3188999/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-positive-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Aug 2022 17:44:11 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told a key security summit on Saturday that Beijing is getting “more coercive” in its territorial claims and Washington is committed to helping its allies in the Indo-Pacific defend themselves. The US would ensure its allies had the right capabilities to “deter aggression”, he said in a speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a three-day defence gathering in Singapore organised by British think tank the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “We seek a region... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3181312/defence-chief-lloyd-austin-says-us-will-help-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3181312/defence-chief-lloyd-austin-says-us-will-help-indo-pacific?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jun 2022 01:30:12 +0000 China has hit out at remarks by the US defence chief suggesting the United States is willing to expand arms sales and military training to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that Beijing claims as its own. US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin told Nikkei Asia that “the United States will make available to Taiwan defence articles and services necessary to enable it to maintain a sufficient self-defence capability commensurate with the Chinese threat”. Austin made the remarks in an interview with the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3180229/beijing-urges-us-cut-military-ties-taiwan-after-defence-chief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3180229/beijing-urges-us-cut-military-ties-taiwan-after-defence-chief?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Jun 2022 13:58:14 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said he was looking forward to meeting his Chinese counterpart for the first time at next month’s Shangri-La Dialogue Asian security summit to promote security and stability, after describing “countering aggression and bullying from China” as a “pacing challenge”. Austin told the US Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday he hoped his engagement with General Wei Fenghe would be the first of many and that both men recognised the importance of dialogue and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3176528/china-us-ties-lloyd-austin-looks-forward-meeting-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3176528/china-us-ties-lloyd-austin-looks-forward-meeting-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2022 22:00:28 +0000 The United States’ top diplomat and defence chief were set on Sunday to make their first wartime visits to Kyiv since Russia invaded Ukraine two months ago, with fierce fighting casting a long shadow over Orthodox Easter. The trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin comes as the war enters its third month with thousands dead and millions displaced. A series of European leaders have already travelled to Kyiv to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky and underscore... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3175333/ukraine-war-zelensky-says-new-evidence-emerged-russian-troops?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3175333/ukraine-war-zelensky-says-new-evidence-emerged-russian-troops?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2022 02:47:37 +0000 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin would visit Kyiv on Sunday, in what would be a risky show of support for Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s invasion. “Tomorrow people from the US are coming, I will meet the defence minister and the secretary of state, Mr Blinken,” Zelensky said in a news conference. “I think we will be waiting when security will allow the president of the US to come and support... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3175321/ukraine-war-officials-accuse-russia-thwarting-fresh-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3175321/ukraine-war-officials-accuse-russia-thwarting-fresh-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 23 Apr 2022 18:08:23 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday with mild symptoms, but would retain all authorities as he quarantined at home for the next five days. News of Austin’s infection comes as the Pentagon last week tightened restrictions at its headquarters over concern about the highly transmissible Omicron variant that has led to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases throughout the world. The military is faced with the challenge of maintaining combat readiness for troops,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3161886/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-tests-positive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3161886/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-tests-positive?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Jan 2022 01:10:56 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin headed to the Black Sea region on Sunday aiming to shore up alliances with countries pressured by Russia and show gratitude for their contributions to the two-decade war in Afghanistan. Austin will visit Georgia, Romania and Ukraine before taking part in the in-person defence ministers summit at Nato in Brussels on October 21-22. “We are reassuring and reinforcing the sovereignty of countries that are on the front lines of Russian aggression,” a senior US... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3152677/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-heads-black-sea-region?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3152677/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-heads-black-sea-region?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 Oct 2021 15:15:18 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has yet to speak with his Chinese counterpart, a Pentagon spokesman said, as the two sides wrangle over protocol. At a time of rising tensions, the Pentagon has reportedly sought to open lines of communication, making several attempts to set up high-level military talks that have been rebuffed by Beijing. Asked on Wednesday whether there had been any progress, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby confirmed that, since he took office in January, Austin had not had any... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3144816/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-has-yet-speak-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3144816/us-defence-chief-lloyd-austin-has-yet-speak-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Aug 2021 10:00:24 +0000 A Nigerian separatist group sued US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin over the sale of attack planes that it says will be used to persecute its supporters. The Indigenous People of Biafra, or IPOB, submitted a complaint against two of US President Joe Biden’s top officials in a federal court in Washington on Saturday. The organisation is asking a judge to direct Blinken and Austin to block the transfer of six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft to Nigeria’s air force... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3143683/nigerian-separatists-sue-anthony-blinken-lloyd-austin-over-sale?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3143683/nigerian-separatists-sue-anthony-blinken-lloyd-austin-over-sale?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Aug 2021 11:27:12 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Vietnam on Wednesday for talks that are expected to focus heavily on security and military cooperation between the erstwhile enemies, along with Washington’s plan to help Southeast Asia tackle Covid-19 and its post-pandemic recovery. Sources say discussions on Thursday between Austin and his counterpart General Phan Van Giang in Hanoi will cover the provision of US coastguard ships to Vietnam for maritime patrols and the possibility of a third... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3142868/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austins-vietnam-visit-focus-security?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3142868/us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austins-vietnam-visit-focus-security?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jul 2021 09:02:48 +0000 This story is published in a content partnership with POLITICO. It was originally reported by Quint Forgey on politico.com on July 21, 2021. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said he had “tremendous faith and confidence” in General Mark Milley following reports that the Joint Chiefs chair sought to prevent former US president Donald Trump from perpetrating a coup amid the 2020 election. “I’ve known the chairman for a long time. We’ve fought together. We’ve served a couple of times in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3142022/lloyd-austin-defends-us-general-mark-milley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3142022/lloyd-austin-defends-us-general-mark-milley?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jul 2021 21:48:09 +0000 Misunderstandings and protocol disagreements have affected dialogue between the Chinese and US militaries, but without causing an immediate crisis, analysts and sources said. A Chinese military source said there was misunderstanding when US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin requested to talk to Chinese Central Military Commission (CMC) vice-chairman Xu Qiliang, causing offence at the Chinese defence ministry. Speaking on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the matter, the source said... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3134781/china-rejected-lloyd-austins-phone-calls-after-us-defence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3134781/china-rejected-lloyd-austins-phone-calls-after-us-defence?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 May 2021 15:00:07 +0000 US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin, on his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, said Sunday that the Biden administration wants to see “a responsible end” to America’s longest war, but the level of violence must decrease for “fruitful” diplomacy to have a chance. With questions swirling about how long US troops will remain in the country, Austin said that “in terms of an end date or setting a specific date for withdrawal, that’s the domain of my boss.” He said his stop in Kabul, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3126370/visit-afghanistan-us-pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3126370/visit-afghanistan-us-pentagon-chief-lloyd-austin?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Mar 2021 22:22:44 +0000 While India will warmly receive US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday in a sign of their strengthening defence ties, analysts say New Delhi will be careful to signal that it is not forming a coalition against China. Austin’s three-day trip to New Delhi, where he will call on Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and other senior national security leaders, will come hot on the heels of a US-China meeting in Alaska on Thursday that has been described as testy and ill-tempered. During the face-off... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3126091/india-receives-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-china-its-mind?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3126091/india-receives-us-defence-secretary-lloyd-austin-china-its-mind?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Mar 2021 04:01:22 +0000 Threats from China and North Korea will loom large over the Biden administration’s first cabinet-level trip abroad, part of a larger effort to bolster US influence and calm concerns about America’s role in Asia. A senior administration official said Saturday that US officials have tried to reach out to North Korea through multiple channels since last month, but have yet to receive a response. That makes consultations with the reclusive country’s neighbours, Japan, South Korea and China, all the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3125420/antony-blinken-and-lloyd-austin-head-asia-bid-calm-concerns-about-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3125420/antony-blinken-and-lloyd-austin-head-asia-bid-calm-concerns-about-us?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Mar 2021 23:01:06 +0000