President Biden, in comments on his first visit to the Pentagon as commander-in-chief, announced the creation of a China Task Force to assess the Department of Defense’s strategies to address the challenges posed by China.
The task force, which will be led by Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense Dr. Ely Ratner, will include up to 15 civilian and uniformed Defense Department officials. He will analyze the strategy, operational concepts, technology and force structure, as well as defense relations with China.
“This will require a whole effort by the government, bipartisan cooperation in Congress and strong relationships and partnerships,” said Biden. “This is how we will face China’s challenge and ensure that the American people win the competition of the future.”
The task force has four months to prepare recommendations for Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who introduced Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Austin and Biden reflected on the service of Beau Biden who, when he was a captain in the Delaware National Guard, served under Austin in Iraq. Austin referred to the Biden family as a military family that understands sacrifice. Biden said it is the honor of his life to serve as commander in chief.
Both Mr. Biden and Vice President Harris in their comments paid tribute to members of the African American service, past and present. Biden promised to ensure that everyone is treated with respect.
“At the moment, more than 40% of our active forces are people of color, and it is past time that all the diversity and total strength of our strength is reflected at all levels of this department, said Biden. Austin is the first Secretary black defense.
The visit comes a week after Austin instructs commanders to set a date for a “stay quiet“to deal with extremism in the ranks. The Pentagon was alarmed to discover that veterans and active members participated in the January 6 Capitol rebellion, which resulted in the deaths of five people.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in an attack on Capitol Hill that it was “an alert”.
The military has also seen racist incidents in its ranks in recent weeks.
The head of naval operations condemned two recent extremist incidents. Graffiti was found in a bathroom at the USS Carl Vinson, and at the USS Lake Champlain, a sailor found a bow in his bunk. Both incidents are under investigation, according to a statement this week from Admiral Michael Gilday.
Contributing: David Martin and Mary Walsh