General

After he was badly wounded taking out two German machine gun nests near Anzio, Italy in 1944, Army Staff Sgt. George John Hall had to self-amputate his leg to survive. His bravery and fearlessness earned him the Medal of Honor.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia Laura Cooper co-chaired the U.S.-Georgia Bilateral Defense Consultations in Tbilisi with Georgian First Deputy Defense Minister Lela Chikovani.  

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III announced that the president has made a flag officer nomination.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Dr. Kathleen H. Hicks will depart for an overseas trip to meet with senior military and government leaders in Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command leaders in Germany.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Colombian Minister of National Defense Diego Molano and reaffirmed the importance of the strong defense relationship between our two countries. 

The Navy will commission the future USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul as the newest Freedom-variant littoral combat ship in Duluth, Minnesota.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles in Washington to affirm the strong bilateral defense relationship between the United States and Spain.

The Defense Department announces the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to an additional $100 million.

The United States and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia held the U.S.-Saudi Strategic Joint Planning Committee at the Pentagon.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III met with Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin “Benny” Gantz and reiterated the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.