Project Sword
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's concealment of illness is gradually becoming clear. The allies were nervous about this operation of the United States, and during Austin's hospitalization, the abnormal movements of the American military became a mystery.
Now the whole world already knows that Austin entered the ICU without the knowledge of Biden in the United States, and it was not until the Department of Defense took the initiative to disclose that the White House did not know that the No. 2 person in the US military, second only to **, was actually not at his post.
As the process of the incident was revealed like "squeezing toothpaste", the whole process was slowly restored. Austin himself probably believed that his colleagues in the Department of Defense, especially the chief of staff, might have been programmed to inform him of his hospitalization, and by procedure, his deputies would automatically take over his work.
But in reality, the chief of staff was also sick at the time, and he didn't know that Austin was hospitalized. And Austin's deputy, Deputy Secretary of Defense Hicks, was on vacation abroad and could not perform his duties at all, so there was such an oolong incident.
The whole process of Austin's "concealment" and causing a sensation in the United States seems absurd and funny, but it is indeed like something that can only be done by the American bureaucracy. Austin immediately said that he was willing to take full responsibility for the matter after his condition stabilized, which shows that he also knew what a big basket he had stabbed.
Although the incident did not cause any major substantive consequences, the political impact was very bad, because Austin did not notify the parties in accordance with the relevant regulations, which was objectively "desertion" and may have violated the relevant laws.
As the "deputy commander-in-chief" of the US military, the Secretary of Defense is the most critical hub between the White House and the military. ** Major orders also require the signature of the Minister of Defense to take effect in the military.
In other words, in the 3 days of Austin's "disappearance", Biden was equivalent to a bare-bones commander, who knew nothing about the situation in the army, and was unaware of it.
Biden is the supreme commander of the U.S. military, but the U.S. military is not completely under his control, and the potential risks exposed by this incident are enormous, and it cannot be overemphasized, and the coordination and communication capabilities within the U.S. administrative system are obviously deeply flawed.
The White House is currently in a dilemma in dealing with this matter, although Biden is very angry, he still chooses to focus on the unity and stability of the team, trying to downplay the negative impact with issues such as "privacy" and "health". After all, at present, internal chaos will affect the trust of the people.
Still, the White House decided to review the existing delegation agreements for cabinet members to ensure that department heads follow procedures and notify the White House if they fail to fulfill their responsibilities.
It can be seen that Biden and others did not underestimate the potential danger reflected in this incident.
However, the White House's current censorship moves seem to ignore some of the changes in the US military. During Austin's "off-duty", the U.S. military airstrike on a facility in Iraq, causing many casualties, including a leader of the Iraqi militia "Popular Mobilization Group".
Such "decapitation" air raids are generally carried out with a high degree of authorization. For example, the operation to kill Osama bin Laden was authorized by the then US ** Obama, and Obama even ** live broadcast the operation.
And during this operation, Austin was not on duty, and Biden certainly did not know about it, which means that the major military operation of the US military is likely to be carried out without full authorization.
At present, Republicans have once again launched a fire on the Democrats on this matter.
The fact that the U.S. military is so unreliable in major military operations is a very unstable factor for U.S. allies, especially in the tense Middle East.
Due to the blockade of the Houthis in the Red Sea, a large number of foreign ships have gathered here, and if the US military launches an attack on the Houthis or Iran without sufficient communication with its allies, then these allies may be passively involved in the conflict in the Middle East.
It can be seen from the behavior of France and other countries in announcing that they will leave the US military command system and provide escort on their own, that some NATO countries do not want to always have relations with the United States, nor do they want to get involved in the troubled waters of Palestine and Israel. But now, with such flaws in the US administrative and command system exposed, the possibility of being dragged into the water by the US military is greater than originally expected.
The United States and Europe are not in agreement, and many times the United States really blames itself.