Anthony P. Reardon is performing the duties of the under secretary of the Air Force under Acting Secretary John Roth, pending permanent nominations to the positions, the department announced Feb. 9. Roth officially designated Reardon as the first assistant to the under secretary of the ...
Kathleen H. Hicks on Feb. 9 reported to work as the highest-ranking woman in Pentagon history, starting as the deputy secretary of defense the day after being confirmed by the Senate. Hicks immediately met with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and received updates on ...
The Defense Department on Feb. 4 issued an order requiring all service members and civilians on U.S. military installations—whether indoors or outdoors—to wear a mask to try to limit the spread of COVID-19, with limited exceptions. However, vaccines against the new coronavirus remain voluntary, and ...
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Feb. 3 ordered a military-wide “stand down” over the next 60 days to have units discuss extremism in the ranks, the Pentagon announced. The stand down, similar to the Air Force’s 2019 resiliency tactical pause to address suicide, ...
Kathleen H. Hicks, who will oversee decisions related to nuclear modernization if confirmed to be the No. 2 official at the Pentagon, assured lawmakers during her confirmation hearing on Feb. 2 that she is committed to all three legs of the nuclear triad. Since Defense ...
The Biden administration still wants to withdraw all forces from Afghanistan as long as the Taliban abides by the agreement reached last year, but that hasn't happened yet, the top Pentagon spokesman said Jan. 28. The U.S. reached a deal with the Taliban last year ...
The Pentagon is sourcing a request from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy military personnel to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine, an expected increase to the more than 20,000 Guard personnel already helping across the country. The FEMA request, sent to the Defense Department ...
Membership on congressional committees that oversee defense spending and policy is beginning to take shape almost a month into the new session. Leadership has named new Republicans and Democrats to the House Armed Services and Appropriations Committees, while the Senate is still working through the ...
The Pentagon will incorporate the “implications of climate change” in its wargaming, analysis, simulations, and its upcoming National Defense Strategy after President Joe Biden on Jan. 27 signed new executive actions aimed at addressing the issue across the whole government. "The order clearly establishes climate ...
Vice President Kamala Harris on Jan. 25 ceremonially swore in new Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III at the White House, days after he started the job and has already announced multiple changes to the Defense Department. “Secretary Austin’s integrity, experience, and intimate knowledge of ...
Lloyd Austin was sworn in as Defense Secretary on Jan. 22, shortly after the Senate confirmed his nomination, becoming the first Black person to hold the position. He assumes the top Defense Department job just one day after Congress approved a waiver allowing him to ...
Congress on Jan. 21 approved a waiver clearing the way for Lloyd Austin to be the next Defense Secretary, with a confirmation vote expected as early as the morning of Jan. 22. Austin, who retired from the Army in 2016 as the four-star commander of ...