Since taking office, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III has worked extensively to further strengthen U.S. partnerships across the Pacific Island region.
The Defense Department struggles to attract talent to fill science, technology, engineering and mathematics roles and has tools in place to help develop and recruit more STEM talent, Heidi Shyu, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, said.
The situation in the Middle East and Africa has changed dramatically over the past year, and DOD has moved with speed and agility to address the challenges in these vital areas, the assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs said.
New watercraft, including some that are autonomous, and new ways to work with partners figure into how the Marine Corps plans to improve the way it supplies itself though improved logistics.
The Navy is deploying logistics capabilities in support of the Army-led mission to establish a temporary pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver critical humanitarian assistance.
China continues to present the most comprehensive and serious challenge to U.S. national security, Ely S. Ratner, assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security affairs, said.
The Pentagon, Congress and the industrial base must work together to deliver combat-credible capabilities to the warfighter at speed and scale to deter aggression and win if called on to fight.
In addition to honing key counterterrorism capabilities, the special operations community has maintained its roots in deterring and defeating strategic threats, the U.S. Special Operations Command commander said.
