Washington DC [US], January 18 (ANI): Outgoing US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin highlighted the strides made by the US beneath the Biden administration, throughout his farewell speech delivered on Friday. He famous that the US made sweeping upgrades to its place within the Indo-Pacific, intensely focussed on the problem posed by China, prevented an all-out warfare within the Middle East and rallied the world in direction of the trigger for Ukraine.
Referring to the incoming Trump administration, Austin stated, “American democracy is not a sprint but a relay race. And as we pass the baton, I am very proud of what we’ve achieved over the past four years.””We have intensely focused the Department of Defense on the “pacing problem” from the People’s Republic of China. We’ve made sweeping upgrades to our posture in the Indo-Pacific”, he famous.
The US strengthened its defence ties throughout a number of fronts beneath the Biden administration. This included the rekindling the QUAD Alliance which contains of India, the US, Japan and Australia and deepening engagements with ASEAN and Taiwan.
Austin added, “We’ve rallied the free world to help Ukraine fight for its freedom against Putin’s imperial aggression. We’ve led a NATO alliance that is stronger, larger, and more united than ever.”Speaking in regards to the Middle East, he stated, “We’ve prevented an all-out war in the Middle East, seen Iran’s proxies gutted across the region, and worked tirelessly to save Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We’ve also secured a ceasefire that will halt the fighting in Gaza, reunite hostages with their families, and surge much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”Speaking on the opposite points of the American army, Austin knowledgeable of the hike introduced into the defence price range. “We’ve invested deeply in the future of our military, including a defense budget that is set to increase in Fiscal Year 2025 by more than USD 100 billion from where we started in 2021”, he stated.
“For the past four years, we’ve stood up to our rivals, we’ve weakened our foes, strengthened our friends, invested in our future, and done right by our people”, Austin remarked.
He stated that serving as Secretary of Defence has been the very best honour and the heaviest accountability of his life. “I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together at this hinge in history”, he stated in his concluding remarks. (ANI)