United States Secretary of Defense

The United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, has been hospitalized for symptoms of a bladder issue, leading to the transfer of duties to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. The development was confirmed by Pentagon Press Secretary Major Gen. Pat Ryder on Monday.

The Pentagon has invited representatives of 40 allied countries to gather in Germany on Tuesday to discuss Ukraine's long-term security needs, BTA reported.

Lloyd J. Austin, a West Point graduate who rose to the Army's elite ranks and marched through racial barriers in a 41-year career, won Senate confirmation on Jan. 22 to become the nation's first Black secretary of defense.

President Donald Trump on June 10 said his administration will "not even consider'' changing the name of any of the 10 Army bases that are named for Confederate Army officers. Two days earlier, Defense Secretary Mark Esper indicated that he was open to a broad discussion of such changes.

The acting U.S. defense secretary's letter to Turkish defense chief was not in line with spirit of alliance and it was "improperly worded", the Turkish Defense Ministry said on June 18.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on Tuesday that he expected to solve a dispute with Turkey over its purchase of Russia's S-400 air defense system, a day after the United States halted the delivery of equipment related to the F-35 aircraft to Ankara.

Montenegrin Defense Minister Predrag Boskovic says the country is on target to spend 2 percent of annual economic output on defense by 2024, in keeping with a promise to expand military budgets as the United States offers an increase in its own defense spending in Europe.

Turkey has legitimate security concerns over insurgency inside its borders, United States Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis said on Jan. 21, according to U.S. media reports.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis delivered an ultimatum to NATO allies during a visit to Europe - increase their military spending, or see America "moderate its commitment" to the alliance.

"I owe it to you all to give you clarity on the political reality in the United States, and to state the fair demand from my country's people in concrete terms," Mattis said.

Defense Minister Panos Kammenos will not be meeting his US counterpart Thursday as the encounter has been called off by Washington, sources told Kathimerini Tuesday.

Kammenos had been due to meet Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on his latest visit to the USA but will not hold talks with him or Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work.