Defense Secretary: 'Our alliances and partnerships are our greatest strength'

(The Center Square) − Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Charles Brown addressed current issues in the Red Sea, the Israel-Palestine conflict, and President Joe Biden’s foreign policy record.“Our adversaries are always testing us,” Austin said. “We will see challenges going forward. It’s just the nature of who they are and what they do.”Austin highlighted the Biden administration's investment in alliances and military support in countries like Japan, Australia, and the Philippines.Austin emphasized that the increased cooperation between the U.S. and the Philippines is a significant achievement of the Biden administration in the region.“When I started as secretary, our ties with the Philippines were at a low point, and we were on the brink of losing our decades-old visiting forces agreement,” Austin said. “Last year, President Marcos agreed to include four new locations under our enhanced defense cooperation agreement.”Austin and Brown made clear that maintaining and expanding U.S. alliances and partnerships has been a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s foreign policy.The Department of Defense has grown increasingly concerned about the cooperation between Russia, Iran, North Korea, and China in recent years.Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has met with leaders like China's Xi Jinping, North Korea's Kim Jong Un, and Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei. In June, Putin and Kim Jong Un signed a “strategic partnership.”Early this year, Putin hosted the Yemeni terrorist group Ansar Allah, also known as the Houthis, who have been attacking international trade vessels since Israel began its war in Gaza.On Tuesday, four bombers from China and Russia entered the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone, an international airspace buffer, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.Austin stated that there is evidence China has been providing aid to Russia in their “illegal and unnecessary war in Ukraine.”The eruption of the Israel-Palestine conflict since October 7 has galvanized many adversaries against the U.S. and Israel. Iran is a notorious funder of terrorist organizations, including the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, all of whom have been targeting Israel militarily.Brown said the U.S. military is not withholding or slowing weapons to Israel.The Biden administration’s policy on the war has involved aid to both Israel and Gaza, including military and humanitarian assistance, respectively.“Israel is operating in a very complex urban environment with an extensive tunnel network,” Brown said.Brown noted that this has made efforts to destabilize Hamas challenging.“We have provided security assistance to Israel at a record pace,” Austin said. “We’ve learned a lot of lessons from our efforts to provide assistance to Ukraine.”“Our alliances and partnerships are our greatest strengths, and together we will continue to build a safer and more peaceful world,” Austin said.