SIMI VALLEY, California — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday denounced those who advocate “an American retreat from responsibility” and said continued American leadership is needed to keep the world as safe, free and prosperous as possible. He also urged Congress to end the partisan gridlock that has stalled the federal budget and war spending.
The United States must reject calls to turn away from global interests and become more isolationist, he told an audience of lawmakers, business and defense leaders and government officials attending a security conference. Those who “try to pull up the drawbridge,” he said, are undermining the security that has led to decades of prosperity.
In his remarks at the Reagan National Defense Forum in California's Simi Valley, Austin made a lengthy defense of US support for Israel in its war against Hamas and for Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion. He said that “the world will only become more dangerous if tyrants and terrorists believe they can get away with large-scale aggression and mass slaughter.”
Austin met privately with top lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services committees.
His message of rejecting isolationism appeared to be aimed at conservative lawmakers who are increasingly opposed to spending on overseas wars and support former President Donald Trump's “America First” ideology.
“You'll hear some people try to frame an American withdrawal from responsibility as bold new leadership,” Austin said. “Make no mistake: it's not daring. It's not new. And it's not leadership.”
Congress has failed to approve new money for the wars in Ukraine and Israel and has only managed to pass a short-term budget bill, known as a continuing resolution, that expires early next year. The Senate has been deadlocked for months over one lawmaker's move to block hundreds of military nominations, including critical senior commanders for key regions around the world.
“Our competitors do not have to operate under continuing resolutions. And when we do, both our safety and our ability to compete are compromised,” Austin said. He opened his speech with a plea to lawmakers in the crowd to pass both the budget and additional funding for the wars.
Government officials have warned that money for Ukraine is running out and may not last until the end of this year. The Pentagon has about $5 billion worth of equipment it can ship from its own stockpiles and is eating through it almost every week. The money to replace military weapons and equipment taken from Pentagon stockpiles to send to Ukraine is rapidly dwindling and totals about $1 billion.
Austin, who was in Ukraine's capital less than two weeks ago, has repeatedly stressed the importance of helping Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, as part of a broader campaign to prevent Russian President Vladimir Putin from entering other countries in Europe would threaten.
Austin also noted that as much as $50 billion of that supplemental budget request for the wars would go through U.S. defense companies, creating or supporting tens of thousands of jobs in 30 states.
Although he did not mention it in his speech, Austin has often criticized Congress for its failure to confirm more than 400 military officers nominated for promotions or other jobs.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., blocked the nominations and objected when other senators tried to push some through. Only twice has the Senate managed to confirm a total of six high-ranking leaders.
Nearly 400 military nominations are in limbo, and the number is growing. Frustrated Republicans have tried unsuccessfully for nearly nine months to convince Tuberville to drop the power, and negotiations continue. Senior military officials have repeatedly warned that the situation threatens readiness and national security.
In other comments, Austin underscored the administration's repeated insistence that Israel do more to protect civilians as it resumes its airstrike on Hamas following a seven-day ceasefire to secure the release of prisoners.
Israeli warplanes began hitting targets in the Gaza Strip minutes after the weeklong ceasefire expired Friday, and Israel dropped leaflets over parts of southern Gaza calling on people to leave their homes, signaling it was preparing to launch its offensive to expand.
About 100 hostages were released as part of the ceasefire, but about 140 are still held by Hamas and others in Gaza.
While every country has a duty to respond to an attack like Hamas's Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Austin said the lesson is that “in urban warfare you can only win by protecting civilians.” Austin said that if civilians are driven into the arms of the enemy by force, it becomes a strategic defeat.