DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Pentagon inspector general announces review of Austin hospitalization, notification
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to the press on August 18, 2021, at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The Defense Department inspector general's office has launched a formal investigation into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's failure to notify the White House and Congress of his emergency hospitalization. The inspector general's office will "assess whether the DoD's policies and procedures are sufficient" to ensure proper communication when senior leadership is unavailable for medical or other reasons. The inspector general's office is independent from the Pentagon. In a statement Jan. 5, Austin said that he "could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed."

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Lloyd Austin's, Austin, Jan, Joe Biden, Biden's, Jeff Zients, Walter Reed, Biden Organizations: US, Pentagon, The Defense, White House, Congress, Senate, Walter Reed National Military Medical, National Security Council Locations: Washington ,, Puerto Rico, Washington, Austin, Red, The U.S, Baghdad, Iranian

☆ North Korea vows more offensive response to US 'threats' -KCNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Soo-Hyang Choi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Song Kyung-Seok/Pool via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsSEOUL, Nov 16 (Reuters) - North Korea on Thursday criticised a recent visit to South Korea by top U.S. defence officials and vowed more "offensive" responses to what it called military threats from the United States and its allies, state media reported. During Austin's visit, South Korea and the United States revised a bilateral security agreement aimed at deterring North Korea's advancing nuclear and missile threats. South Korea's defence ministry said the revision was necessary because the existing strategy did not adequately address rapid advancements in North Korea's missile and nuclear programs. Austin's visit followed U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to South Korea last week. North Korea and Russia have denied any arms deals, though their leaders pledged closer military cooperation at their September summit.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won, sik, Kyung, Defense Lloyd Austin's, Austin's, Antony Blinken's, Jin, Yoko Kamikawa, Soo, hyang Choi, Chris Reese, Cynthia Osterman, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Defense, South Korean Defense Minister, United Nations Command, UNC, Defense Ministry, REUTERS Acquire, Rights, DPRK, Democratic People's, United, Pentagon, U.S . State Department, U.S . Defense Security Cooperation Agency, South Korean Foreign, Thomson Locations: South Korea, Seoul, Rights SEOUL, North Korea, United States, Defense Lloyd Austin's Seoul, DPRK, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Korea, Republic of, Russia, San Francisco

☆ These 106 House Republicans voted to defund Vice President Kamala Harris's office
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

GOP Rep. Mike Collins tried to cut all funding for Vice President Harris's office. AdvertisementAdvertisementHouse Republicans just tried — and failed — to defund the office of Vice President Kamala Harris. "None of the funds made available by this Act may be used for the salary or expenses of any officer or employee of the Office of the Vice President," read Collins' amendment. I'm sure you'll be shocked, but I just had to debate a Republican on the House floor who was defending funding the Office of the Vice President. AdvertisementAdvertisementBelow are the 106 Republicans who voted for Collins' amendment.

Persons: Mike Collins, Harris's, —, Kamala Harris, Collins, Harris, you'll, shouldn't, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lloyd Austin's Organizations: Service, Republican, Financial Services, General Government, Democratic, House Republicans Locations: Georgia

☆ House Democrat defends voting for bill that would slash Defense Secretary's salary to just $1: 'I'm not particularly concerned about him'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The House passed a defense spending bill on Thursday that cuts Sec. But Rep. Jared Golden, one of two House Democrats who voted for the bill, sees little issue. AdvertisementAdvertisementDemocratic Rep. Jared Golden of Maine voted for a bill on Thursday that would reduce Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's salary to essentially nothing. The provision was just one part of the Republican-led defense spending bill that passed the House on Thursday, which would fund the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2024. I served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I'm a member of the Armed Services Committee," said Golden, explaining his vote for the underlying defense bill.

Persons: Lloyd Austin's, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jared Golden, —, Maine, Golden, Austin, I'm, Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 ( Organizations: Service, Democrat, Defense, Republican, Department of Defense, Pentagon, Armed Services Committee, Republican Rep, Republicans, — Locations: Austin, Afghanistan, Iraq, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene moved to slash Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's salary to $1, exposing a rift between MAGA Republicans and military officials under the Biden Administration
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Lloyd Lee | Sebastian Cahill | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meanwhile, a faction of hard-right GOP members moved to cut Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's salary. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs Congress scrambles to drum up a plan to avert a government shutdown, hard-right lawmakers curiously proposed a move to cut the salary of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to $1. Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene proposed an amendment to slash Austin's salary on the House floor on Wednesday, putting the proposal to a voice vote. AdvertisementAdvertisementAustin, a retired four-star Army general, is the first Black secretary of defense and was confirmed 93-2 by a Senate committee in 2021. On September 21, several hard-right Republicans continued to stifle progress on a spending agenda after rejecting a defense bill that typically receives bipartisan support.

Persons: Lloyd Austin's, Marjorie Taylor Greene, —, scrambles, Lloyd Austin, Republicans —, Greene, Austin, Biden, Josh Hawley, Mike Lee, Kevin McCarthy Organizations: GOP, Service, Georgia, Republicans, Twitter, Defense, Pentagon, Army, Military Times, SNAP Locations: Afghanistan, Austin, United States

☆ Biden rejects conditions of plea deal for Sept. 11 attacks defendants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The White House confirmed that Biden concurred with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recommendation not to accept the conditions, known as joint policy principles, as a basis for plea talks. "The 9/11 attacks were the single worst assault on the United States since Pearl Harbor. More than 3,000 people were killed in the hijacked plane attacks by al Qaeda militants using four commercial airline jets, flying two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. The fourth plane went down in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers. Reporting by Jeff Mason and Dan Whitcomb; editing by Grant McCoolOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Leah Millis, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Biden, Lloyd Austin's, al, Jeff Mason, Dan Whitcomb, Grant McCool Organizations: Warehouse Union, Pacific Maritime Association, White, REUTERS, Guantanamo, New York Times, U.S, Times, White House, World Trade, Pentagon, Washington , D.C, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, United States, Pearl, New York City, Washington ,, Pennsylvania

☆ Biden Rejects Conditions of Plea Deal for Sept. 11 Attacks Defendants
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sept. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

(Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden has rejected several conditions sought by five Guantanamo Bay prisoners as part of a deal with federal prosecutors that would see them plead guilty to conspiring in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the New York Times reported on Wednesday. But the defendants have responded with a list conditions, including that they not serve their life sentences in solitary confinement and would be allowed to eat and pray with other inmates, the newspaper said. The White House confirmed that Biden concurred with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recommendation not to accept the conditions, known as joint policy principles, as a basis for plea talks. "The 9/11 attacks were the single worst assault on the United States since Pearl Harbor. The fourth plane went down in rural Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

Persons: Joe Biden, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Biden, Lloyd Austin's, al, Jeff Mason, Dan Whitcomb, Grant McCool Organizations: Reuters, Guantanamo, New York Times, U.S, Times, White House, White, World Trade, Pentagon, Washington , D.C Locations: United States, Pearl, New York City, Washington ,, Pennsylvania

☆ Nation's top general says it's an 'overstatement' to say 'the entire military is woke' over a few drag shows on bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Critics have pointed to drag shows and the use of critical race theory, both of which Milley said are overstated. Milley, the nation's highest-ranking military officer, said he supported Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's decision to ban drag shows at military bases after some Republican lawmakers sparked an outcry. Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Florida Republican, who criticized the drag shows, called the Pentagon's new policy a "HUGE VICTORY." Critics have also taken aim at critical race theory, an academic theory that looks at America's history of racism and discrimination through a modern lens. Already, three military services are without a Senate-confirmed leader, the first time that's happened in the nation's history.

Persons: Mark Milley, Milley, Lloyd Austin's, Austin, Matt Gaetz, Critics, Donald Trump, Republican Sen, Tommy Tuberville, C.Q, Brown Jr Organizations: Washington Post, Service, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington Post's, Nellis Air Force Base, Ramstein Air Base, Florida Republican, Republicans, Department of Defense, Republican, Air Force Locations: Wall, Silicon, Nevada, Germany, Florida

☆ Academic on U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's Middle East visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailLloyd Austin's Middle East visit: Deescalating West Bank tensions high on the agenda, says academicDalia Dassa Kaye of UCLA's Burkle Center for International Relations discusses U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's trip to the Middle East and says "the Russia angle and the China angle will be a bit of an uphill battle."

[1/2] The suspected Chinese spy balloon drifts to the ocean after being shot down off the coast in Surfside Beach, South Carolina, U.S. February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Randall HillWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Sunday it is searching for remnants of the suspected Chinese surveillance balloon it shot down the previous day, in a dramatic spy saga that has further strained American-Chinese relations. A successful recovery could potentially give the United States insight into China's spying capabilities, though U.S. officials have downplayed the balloon's impact on national security. Democrats said Biden's decision to wait to shoot down the balloon until it had passed over the United States protected civilians from debris crashing to Earth. The Pentagon will brief senators on the balloon and Chinese surveillance on Feb. 15, Schumer said.

☆ Austin's Manila visit to bring deal on expanded base access - Philippines official
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( David Brunnstrom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON/MANILA, Feb 1 (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's visit to the Philippines this week is expected to bring an announcement of expanded U.S. access to military bases in the country, a senior Philippines official said on Wednesday. "There's a push for another four or five of these EDCA sites," the a senior Philippines official said. The Philippines official said increased U.S. access needed to benefit both countries. "The deal with Russia was very attractive because for a certain budget we were able to get something like 16 of these heavy-lift helicopters," the official said. He said the U.S. and Philippine marines were pursuing similar capabilities with ground-based rockets, with Manila's particular interest being to protect its South China Sea claims.

Search resuls for: "Lloyd Austin's"

11 mentions found