Sources: USA Today
Pete Hegseth is confirmed as U.S. Secretary of Defense in a 51–50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote. 2025-01-24
United States officials report that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was pre-warned by Israel about the military operation in Lebanon occurring later that day, and claim that they received no prior details about the nature of the attack. 2024-09-19
United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announces that he has tested positive for COVID-19. 2022-01-2
U.S. defense secretary Lloyd Austin says that American troops will evacuate as many Americans and allied Afghan interpreters as they can, but also admits that the Pentagon lacks the capacity to do so. Austin also announces that around 5,000 people have already been evacuated. 2021-08-18
President Trump tweets that he has fired Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Esper had prepared a letter of resignation in the wake of the recent presidential election. National Counterterrorism Center director Christopher C. Miller has been named acting secretary. 2020-11-9
New York businessman Donald Trump wins the Republican Party primary while Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic Party primary. 2016-02-9
The public interest non-profit Cause for Action files a Freedom of Information Act request for United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter’s personal emails following his disclosure of using that account for official government emails, this in the wake of the former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton email controversy and the Office of Personnel Management data breach. The U.S. Federal Records Act restricts use of personal email for official business. 2015-12-23
United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter indicates a more robust role ahead for the United States military in bolstering indigenous forces countering ISIS and in response to Russia’s increasing role in Middle East conflicts. 2015-10-26
The United States Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter warns that the People's Republic of China's island building in the South China Sea is undermining security in the Asia-Pacific region and has called for a diplomatic solution. 2015-05-30
A bipartisan group of eight United States Senators releases its plan to overhaul the immigration system potentially allowing millions of illegal aliens the chance to become citizens. 2013-04-16