Pentagon chief says not losing sleep over America's adversaries
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has said he won't lose any sleep over criticism of US military forces from America's adversaries, like China and Russia.
Austin made the remarks in a Memorial Day interview aired on Monday where he also said that the US military will never be "soft," dismissing statements by some conservative politicians and media figures that the US military is weakening.
"I will not lose one minute of sleep about what the Chinese leadership is saying or what (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is saying. What I will focus on, and what I am focused on is the defense of this nation, and making sure that we have what's needed to be successful," he said.
The retired Army general claimed the US military is the "best military in the world today," not only because of the technology, but because of the people that "populate our ranks."
"I think we're doing a great job in terms of recruiting the right kinds of people, providing access to people from every corner, every walk of life in this country. As long as you're fit and you can qualify, there's a place for you on this team," he said.
Austin, who served more than 40 years in the military, also said that “despite the fact that we can make great movies and write a lot of books, you can't adequately describe the things that I've seen over this 20-year period, what these young people will do for each other, what they'll do for their country is absolutely amazing."
The Pentagon has asked for a $715 billion budget saying it is geared to counter China in the Indo-Pacific region by shedding older weapons systems and investing in new technologies.
The Pentagon budget proposal was released on Friday with the US Air Force asking to retire more than 200 aircraft and a plan to fund an operational hypersonic cruise missile for the first time. It requested $200 million for the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile.
The budget plan would also provide $5.1 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, the fund which was created by Congress to counter China with a focus on competition in the Indo-Pacific. It aims to boost US readiness in the region through funding radars, satellites and missile systems.
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