Washington DC [US], January 18 : Outgoing US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin highlighted the strides made by the US under the Biden administration, during his farewell speech delivered on Friday. He noted that the US made sweeping upgrades to its position in the Indo-Pacific, intensely focussed on the challenge posed by China, prevented an all-out war in the Middle East and rallied the world towards the cause for Ukraine.
Referring to the incoming Trump administration, Austin said, "American democracy is not a sprint but a relay race. And as we pass the baton, I am very proud of what we've achieved over the past four years."
"We have intensely focused the Department of Defense on the "pacing challenge" from the People's Republic of China. We've made sweeping upgrades to our posture in the Indo-Pacific", he noted.
The US strengthened its defence ties across several fronts under the Biden administration. This included the rekindling the QUAD Alliance which comprises of India, the US, Japan and Australia and deepening engagements with ASEAN and Taiwan.
Austin added, "We've rallied the free world to help Ukraine fight for its freedom against Putin's imperial aggression. We've led a NATO alliance that is stronger, larger, and more united than ever."
Speaking about the Middle East, he said, "We've prevented an all-out war in the Middle East, seen Iran's proxies gutted across the region, and worked tirelessly to save Palestinian civilians in Gaza. We've also secured a ceasefire that will halt the fighting in Gaza, reunite hostages with their families, and surge much-needed humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza."
Speaking on the other aspects of the American military, Austin informed of the hike brought into the defence budget. "We've invested deeply in the future of our military, including a defense budget that is set to increase in Fiscal Year 2025 by more than USD 100 billion from where we started in 2021", he said.
"For the past four years, we've stood up to our rivals, we've weakened our foes, strengthened our friends, invested in our future, and done right by our people", Austin remarked.
He said that serving as Secretary of Defence has been the highest honour and the heaviest responsibility of his life. "I am deeply proud of what we have achieved together at this hinge in history", he said in his concluding remarks.
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