Austin urged India to cancel the planned purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence system.[123]
Austin made a second visit to India in June 2023, where he again met with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh as well as other senior leaders to discuss the ongoing joint efforts to modernize the U.S.-India Major Defense Partnership.[120]
The India-U.S. defense partnership has strengthened considerably in the last few years with the countries signing key defense and security pacts, including the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement in 2016 that allows their militaries to use each other's bases for repair and replenishment of supplies.[124]
During a press conference following Austin's visit to New Delhi, a senior Defense Department official described the progress between the U.S. and India: "India's growing commitment to playing a more engaged international role, including in the Indo-Pacific Quad, demonstrates a new and growing willingness to join the United States to protect and advance a shared vision of a free, open and rules-based global order.[125]
On June 11, 2022, Austin condemned China's "provocative, destabilising" military activity near Taiwan,[126] a day after China's Defence Minister Wei Fenghe warned Austin that "if anyone dares to split Taiwan from China, the Chinese army will definitely not hesitate to start a war no matter the cost. These included the explosive crisis and transition of power in Egypt (2013–14); the resurgence of Al Qaeda's affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula; the Huthi-led insurgency against the Hadi government and the civil war in Yemen; continued support for the operations in Afghanistan against Al Qaeda and other extremist groups; malign activity by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Forces; and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq and Syria.[41]
As commander, after ISIL seized control of Mosul in June 2014, Austin oversaw the development and execution of the military campaign plan to counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria.[42][43] As of October 2014, Austin argued that the U.S. military's primary focus in operations against ISIL should be Iraq, as opposed to Syria.[44] He also strongly affirmed the centrality of the Middle East region to the long-term security and prosperity of the United States and the American people.[96]
Iran[edit]
During a visit to Israel in March 2023, in a joint press conference with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Austin said: "Iran remains the primary driver of instability in the region and we remain deeply concerned by Iran's support for terrorism, its dangerous proxies, its nuclear advances, its aggression at sea, its cyber threats, and its proliferation of attack drones and advanced conventional weapons."[97]
At the AIPAC Political Leadership Forum on January 10, 2023, Austin stated: "Going back to my days at CENTCOM, I have consistently said that the greatest threat to Israeli security, and to the region, is the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran. The cancer was treated early, and Austin's doctors have stated that his prognosis is "excellent".[77][78]
The Department of Defense did not disclose the hospitalization to the President of the United States, senior Defense Department officials, senior White House national security staff, members of the U.S. Congress, media outlets, or the public for several days.[79] This secrecy, which came at a time when Iranian-backed militias were frequently attacking U.S. military bases and the U.S. Navy was fighting to protect maritime safety of commercial shipping vessels in the Persian Gulf area, contravened established practices of disclosing the medical issues of Cabinet members and senior U.S. officials.[80] Legal experts have also stated that Austin "clearly violated" U.S. laws requiring executive agencies to report any top-level absence.[81][82]
President Biden and high-ranking White House officials only learned of Austin's hospitalization three days after it happened, when National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was informed just before he attended an event at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall where Austin was also scheduled to appear. He completed Airborne and Ranger schools prior to receiving his initial assignment in Germany with the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) as a rifle platoon leader and later as a scout platoon leader and company executive officer in 1st Battalion, 7th Infantry.[9][11]
Following this assignment and attendance at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry and served as the Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 1st Brigade.[9]
In 1981, Austin was assigned to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was the operations officer for the Army Indianapolis District Recruiting Command, and where he later commanded a company in the Army Recruiting Battalion.
