JUST IN: Austin Calls for More NATO Help in Countering China
2/19/2021
By Jon Harper
U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Cameron Stoner
The United States needs its NATO allies to invest more in their military capabilities and help the Pentagon address the growing threat posed by China, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III said Feb. 19.
Austin attended a virtual NATO ministerial meeting with his alliance counterparts earlier this week. Discussion topics included a resurgent Russia, disruptive technologies, climate change, the war in Afghanistan, terrorism and “an increasingly aggressive China,†he told reporters during his first Pentagon press briefing since taking office.
“I made it clear that the United States is committed to defending the international rules-based order, which China has consistently undermined for its own interests,†he said, describing the rival nation as the Defense Department’s “primary pacing challenge.â€
https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2021/2/19/just-in-austin-calls-for-more-nato-help-in-countering-china