Category Archives: Lloyd Austin

US confirms Russian forces deployed to same Niger airbase as American troops

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Russians in separate compound and do not have access to US forces or equipment, says defence secretary

The US secretary of defence, Lloyd Austin, has confirmed Russian security forces have been deployed to the same airbase as American troops in the Nigerien capital, Niamey.

It remains unclear when the Russian troops, who have been in Niger for weeks, were deployed to Airbase 101, which is next to Diori Hamani international airport in Niamey. It is also unclear how many troops are on the ground.

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Israel defence chief to head to Washington for Gaza talks

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Yoav Gallant will leave Israel for the US on Sunday amid growing tensions between the allies

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant will leave on Sunday for talks in the United States, the Israeli government said, amid growing tensions between the allies over the war in Gaza.

Gallant will meet with US counterpart Lloyd Austin, US secretary of state Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan “and additional senior officials”, a statement said.

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Nato chief rebukes Donald Trump and announces record defence spending

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Jens Stoltenberg accuses Trump of undermining alliance and says 18 members are expected to invest at least 2% of GDP this year

Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, has accused Donald Trump of undermining the basis of the transatlantic alliance as he announced that 18 Nato members were expected to beat the target of spending more than 2% of GDP on defence.

It was the second rebuke by the Nato chief to the Republican frontrunner in less than a week, reinforced by a declaration that Germany was among the countries planning to spend over the threshold for the first time in a generation.

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Lloyd Austin to resume Pentagon duties one day after admission to hospital

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US defense secretary underwent non-surgical procedures for bladder issue and ‘cancer prognosis remains excellent’

The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, is expected to “resume his normal duties” on Tuesday, a day after he was admitted to a hospital for what the Pentagon described as an “emergent bladder issue”.

A statement issued by the Pentagon said Austin, 70, had undergone non-surgical procedures under general anesthesia to address the bladder issue. “We anticipate a successful recovery and will closely monitor him overnight,” the statement read.

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US defense secretary Lloyd Austin transfers duties to deputy after being hospitalised

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Biden’s top military adviser is receiving treatment for an ‘emergent bladder issue’, with deputy Kathleen Hicks taking over his duties

Joe Biden’s top military adviser, Lloyd Austin, has been hospitalized because of an “emergent bladder issue”, and has transferred his duties to deputy secretary of defense Kathleen Hicks.

The defense secretary’s admission to Walter Reed national military medical center was announced early Sunday evening, with the Pentagon outlining his condition in a statement.

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US orders reprisal strikes against Iranian-backed militia

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Strikes expected to take place in Syria and possibly Iraq, after three US soldiers were killed at a base in Jordan

The US has ordered a series of reprisal strikes to be launched over more than one day against an Iranian-backed militia, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said.

Austin said all drones in the region attacking the US were of Iranian origin. The retaliatory strikes are expected to hit militia in Syria and possibly Iraq, though Austin did not specify the timing or precise location.

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Pentagon mulls response to Jordan drone strike amid fears for Gaza ceasefire efforts

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Lloyd Austin says president ‘will not tolerate attacks on US forces’, but Qatar warns that reprisal attacks could undermine Israel hostage talks

US defense secretary Lloyd Austin has vowed to take “all necessary actions” to defend US troops after Iran-backed militants killed three US troops and wounded dozens more in a drone attack on a US base in Jordan.

“The president and I will not tolerate attacks on US forces and we will take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops,” Austin said at the Pentagon on Monday.

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White House backs Austin as Pentagon chief treated for prostate cancer

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Hospital stay that Joe Biden did not know about was for prostate cancer surgery and to treat urinary tract infection, doctors say

Joe Biden did not learn that his defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, had prostate cancer until Tuesday, the White House has said, minutes after it was disclosed to the public along with news of an infection that had also been kept under wraps.

Austin prompted confusion followed by uproar when it emerged that he had recently, secretly been hospitalized for surgery and again later to treat a urinary tract infection related to that operation.

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