U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin "left his post" three days after Biden received the news, and there was a fierce debate in the United States on this matter, and some U.S. lawmakers issued a warning that it would only take 15 minutes to respond to a nuclear attack by China and Russia. #军史观察团#
We have just entered the new year, and there is another "shocking" news in the US political circles. Recently, US Secretary of Defense Austin inexplicably "disappeared" for several days, and neither the Pentagon nor the top brass of the White House received news about Austin, and it was not until 3 days later that Biden learned about it.
It is reported that on January 1, Austin was suddenly admitted to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and transferred to the intensive care unit. The first person to learn of Austin's hospitalization was Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but Brown did not inform Pentagon and White House officials about the incident.
Not only that, the day after Austin was hospitalized, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks began to perform some of his duties on his behalf, and she was never told the news of Austin's hospitalization by anyone. It wasn't until three days later that Austin's chief of staff, Magusamin, sent relevant notices to Hicks and Sullivan and others, and Biden only got the news that day.
Moreover, the US Congress and the top military only received the news of Austin's hospitalization on January 5, and the US official announced the matter to the public on the same day. And after Biden learned of this, he also felt very angry, after all, Biden, as president, did not receive the news of the Minister of Defense's hospitalization at the first time, which naturally made it difficult for him to accept it for a while.
Immediately after the news broke, the Pentagon was also strongly criticized from within the United States. Republican officials in the United States, in particular, seized the opportunity to attack the Biden administration. Trump has publicly stated that Austin's failure to report his whereabouts to his superiors was a "dereliction of duty" and demanded that Austin step down immediately.
In addition, senior Republican Congressman Roger Wick of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and other officials have asked the Pentagon to give an explanation on this matter and hold those involved accountable. Including former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence also said that the matter was completely unacceptable.
Obviously, as the defense secretary of the world's number one military power, Austin's sudden "off-duty" behavior will inevitably have a negative impact on the United States. Internally, first, the US election is approaching, and now the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are engaged in a fierce confrontation, Austin's move will not only weaken the influence of the Democratic Party, but will also give the Republican Party a handle in vain.
Second, it will also make more people question Biden's ability to manage the cabinet. After all, when Biden took office, he promised to maintain transparency in his administration, which is tantamount to making Biden "slap in the face". Therefore, the Austin incident is tantamount to burying a "big thunder" for the Biden administration.
From an external point of view, the current international situation is complex, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict continues, and the US military bases in Syria and Iraq are also constantly being attacked by local armed groups.
It is worth mentioning that in the past two days, Don Bacon, a member of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress, also issued a special warning on this matter, emphasizing that the early warning event of a nuclear attack by China and Russia is only 15 minutes, and the Department of Defense plays a crucial role in responding to this.
The implication is that if the Pentagon's leadership is "derelict in its duties," the United States will be powerless to respond to an attack by China and Russia. Although this wording is deliberately trying to drag China and Russia, from another point of view, it can also prove that there are serious problems in the current internal management of the Pentagon.
It has been learned that the "chain of command" of the US military is divided into two parts: the "administrative chain of command" and the "operational chain of command," and these two chains of command are at the highest level with the president and the secretary of defense. Brown, who first learned of Austin's hospitalization, was not in the "administrative chain of command", so it was not a "dereliction of duty" that he did not report the matter to his superiors.
In addition, Austin himself has always been reluctant to reveal his whereabouts. It can be seen that it is really difficult to find someone to be held accountable for this matter. To put it bluntly, it is because there are problems with the management mechanism of the Pentagon itself. In the current situation of fierce competition among major powers, the Pentagon's exposure of this problem is also a small blow to the prestige of the US military.
This incident can also reflect that the United States lacks the ability to deal with some unexpected situations. So, looking at this matter from a strategic perspective, Bacon's warning is not alarmist. If the problem of internal management cannot be resolved as soon as possible, once China, Russia, and the United States really go into trouble, the US military is very likely to drop the chain.