Tag: Pentagon

  • US Defense Minister Lloyd J Austin Hospitalized, Briefly Transfers Duties: Pentagon | world news

    New Delhi: Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III was hospitalized on Sunday afternoon with an “emergent bladder issue”, according to a statement from the Pentagon. He has transferred his duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks while he undergoes treatment. The statement, issued by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, said that Austin was taken to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at around 2:20 pm by his security detail. He was seen for symptoms suggesting a bladder problem, which could be related to his previous prostate cancer surgery.

    Ryder said that the Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were notified of Austin’s condition, as well as the White House and Congress. He initially said that Austin would retain his duties as defense secretary while in the hospital, but later updated that Austin had transferred the functions and duties of the office to Hicks.

    Austin, who is 71 years old, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 and underwent surgery in January 2021. He was hospitalized for two weeks following complications from the operation, including a urinary tract infection. He returned to work in-person at the Pentagon at the end of January, and said that he was still recovering.

    Austin is the first African American to serve as the defense secretary, and was confirmed by the Senate in a 93-2 vote on January 22, 2021. He is a retired four-star general who served in the Army for 41 years, and was the commander of the US Central Command from 2013 to 2016.

    Austin was scheduled to travel to Brussels, Belgium, this week for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, in what would be his first overseas trip since his initial hospitalization. It is unclear if he will be able to attend the meeting, which is aimed at addressing the security situation in Ukraine amid Russian aggression.

  • US Says Iranian Drone Struck Ship In Indian Ocean; Coast Guard To Escort Distressed MV Chem Pluto To Mumbai |

    The Pentagon has said that an Iranian drone on Saturday struck a chemical tanker in the Indian Ocean, Reuters reported. “The motor vessel CHEM PLUTO, a Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned, and Netherlands-operated chemical tanker, was struck at approximately 10 am local time (6 am GMT) today in the Indian Ocean, 200 nautical miles from the coast of India, by a one-way attack drone fired from Iran,” a Pentagon spokesperson told Reuters. The incident comes as the latest illustration of the growing regional tensions after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

    The Pentagon said this was the “seventh Iranian attack on commercial shipping since 2021”. An India-bound merchant vessel, MV Chem Pluto, with 20 Indian and one Vietnamese crew member on Saturday caught fire after it was attacked by a suspected drone. It was later secured by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), the ICG said in an official statement.

    DRONE ATTACK ON MV CHEM PLUTO-Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre,Mumbai received information regarding fire onboard MV Chem Pluto. The Merchant ship with 20 Indian &01 Vietnamese Crew was reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike on aerial platform.(1/6) pic.twitter.com/CpioW9MfT9
    — Indian Coast Guard (@IndiaCoastGuard) December 23, 2023

    The merchant vessel reportedly commenced its voyage from the UAE on December 19 and was bound for New Mangalore port with an arrival date of December 25. According to the official statement, on December 23, the Indian Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Mumbai received information regarding a fire onboard MV Chem Pluto, reportedly attacked by a suspected drone strike or aerial platform.

    The Indian Coast Guard Maritime Coordination Centre (MRCC), which established real-time communication with the vessel’s agent, ascertained no loss of life and assured all assistance. It was also learned that the vessel fire had been doused by the crew. To augment the vessel’s safety, MRCC Mumbai has activated ISN and immediately diverted other merchant vessels in the vicinity of Chem Pluto for assistance. The ship is being escorted to Mumbai.

    “The Indian Coast Guard also pressed Offshore Patrol vessel Vikram and Coast Guard Dornier maritime surveillance aircraft into action for rendering assistance to Chem Pluto. The Coast Guard Dornier aircraft has sanitised the area and established communication with Chem Pluto. The vessel has started making its way towards Mumbai after undertaking damage assessment and repairs on its power generation systems,” the statement further read. 

  • Jaishankar, Austin discuss new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial cooperation

    By PTI

    WASHINGTON:  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin have discussed new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial cooperation, a move which Pentagon said would enhance New Delhi’s contribution as a regional security provider.

    Jaishankar, who is on a four-day official trip to Washington, drove down to the Pentagon on Monday for a meeting with Austin.

    The two leaders reviewed priority lines of effort to deepen bilateral defense cooperation, as the United States and India progress toward a more advanced stage in their partnership, according to a Pentagon readout of the meeting.

    Austin and Jaishankar committed to expanding information-sharing and logistics cooperation to drive deeper operational coordination between the US and Indian militaries.

    “They also discussed new opportunities for bilateral defense industrial cooperation in support of India’s contributions as a regional security provider, including the launch of a new defence dialogue later this year as the United States and India work more closely together across space, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other technology areas,” the Pentagon said.

    During the meeting, the two leaders underscored the value of the deepening collaboration between the US, India, Australia, Japan, and European partners.

    In this context, the US looks forward to working with India and like-minded partners to promote security, prosperity, and transparency throughout the region, including through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the Pentagon said, amid China flexing muscles in the strategic region.

    The United States, India, Japan and Australia have formed the Quad, a four-way grouping.

    They have been stepping up cooperation in various fields such as defence and energy amid China’s increasing military and economic clout in the region.

    China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.

    Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.

    The relations between India and China have soured over the incursion by Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in May 2020, leading to a prolonged military standoff that is still unresolved.

    On the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly last week, the Quad strongly opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s increasingly intimidatory behaviour in the region.

    Welcoming Jaishankar to the Pentagon, Austin recollected his recent phone call with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    They exchanged perspectives on a range of issues of shared interest, spanning recent developments in East Asia, the Indian Ocean Region, and the global reverberations of the Ukraine crisis, the readout said.

    The Pentagon said Austin and Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to working together as steadfast partners to advance the United States and India’s shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

    Meanwhile, after the meeting, Jaishankar tweeted, “Defence and Security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership. We noted the steady progress in policy exchange, interoperability, defence trade, service exercises and military-industrial cooperation.”

    “Exchanged perspectives on the Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific developments, maritime challenges and regional issues,” he added.

    WASHINGTON:  External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin have discussed new opportunities for bilateral defence industrial cooperation, a move which Pentagon said would enhance New Delhi’s contribution as a regional security provider.

    Jaishankar, who is on a four-day official trip to Washington, drove down to the Pentagon on Monday for a meeting with Austin.

    The two leaders reviewed priority lines of effort to deepen bilateral defense cooperation, as the United States and India progress toward a more advanced stage in their partnership, according to a Pentagon readout of the meeting.

    Austin and Jaishankar committed to expanding information-sharing and logistics cooperation to drive deeper operational coordination between the US and Indian militaries.

    “They also discussed new opportunities for bilateral defense industrial cooperation in support of India’s contributions as a regional security provider, including the launch of a new defence dialogue later this year as the United States and India work more closely together across space, cyber, artificial intelligence, and other technology areas,” the Pentagon said.

    During the meeting, the two leaders underscored the value of the deepening collaboration between the US, India, Australia, Japan, and European partners.

    In this context, the US looks forward to working with India and like-minded partners to promote security, prosperity, and transparency throughout the region, including through the Indo-Pacific Partnership for Maritime Domain Awareness, the Pentagon said, amid China flexing muscles in the strategic region.

    The United States, India, Japan and Australia have formed the Quad, a four-way grouping.

    They have been stepping up cooperation in various fields such as defence and energy amid China’s increasing military and economic clout in the region.

    China claims nearly all of the disputed South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam all claim parts of it.

    Beijing has built artificial islands and military installations in the South China Sea. China also has territorial disputes with Japan in the East China Sea.

    The relations between India and China have soured over the incursion by Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh in May 2020, leading to a prolonged military standoff that is still unresolved.

    On the sidelines of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly last week, the Quad strongly opposed any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo or increase tensions in the Indo-Pacific, amidst China’s increasingly intimidatory behaviour in the region.

    Welcoming Jaishankar to the Pentagon, Austin recollected his recent phone call with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    They exchanged perspectives on a range of issues of shared interest, spanning recent developments in East Asia, the Indian Ocean Region, and the global reverberations of the Ukraine crisis, the readout said.

    The Pentagon said Austin and Jaishankar reaffirmed their commitment to working together as steadfast partners to advance the United States and India’s shared vision for a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific.

    Meanwhile, after the meeting, Jaishankar tweeted, “Defence and Security cooperation is a key pillar of the contemporary India-US partnership. We noted the steady progress in policy exchange, interoperability, defence trade, service exercises and military-industrial cooperation.”

    “Exchanged perspectives on the Ukraine conflict, Indo-Pacific developments, maritime challenges and regional issues,” he added.

  • Amid row over Pentagon-mentioned village within Arunachal, second illegal Chinese enclave found near LAC

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Amid simmering controversy following a Pentagon report on China constructing a village within Arunachal Pradesh, another Chinese enclave has now been detected along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the same state. 

    “China has constructed a second enclave or cluster of at least 60 buildings in Arunachal Pradesh,” a media channel reported.

    This village in the Shi-Yomi district lies 93 km east of another China-constructed village in Arunachal Pradesh. Satellite images show the village did not exist till 2019.

    In a recent report, the US Department of Defense had flagged China’s building of a village comprising 100 houses along the LAC in Arunachal. Taking strong note of the report, India’s foreign office had said it does not accept any such illegal construction.

    “India has neither accepted such illegal occupation of our territory nor has it accepted the unjustified Chinese claims,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said.

    China has been developing integrated Model Villages along the 3,488-km LAC for dual-use so as to double up as an extended cantonment. 

    Meanwhile, the 23rd meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs was held on Thursday.

    The two sides had candid discussions on the developments since the last meeting of Corps Commanders on October 10. 

    “It was agreed that both sides should hold the next (14th) round of the Senior Commanders meeting at an early date to achieve the objective of complete disengagement from all the friction points along the LAC in the Western Sector in accordance with the existing bilateral agreements and protocols,” the MEA said in a statement. 

    Ensure stability

    The two sides also agreed that both countries should in the interim continue to ensure a stable ground situation and avoid any untoward incident on the Line of Actual Control.

    The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary (East Asia) from the MEA.