Jan. 27, 2022 DOD Places Variety of Troops on 'Prepare to Deploy' Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III placed a range of U.S. military units comprising 8,500 troops on a heightened preparedness to deploy should Russia invade Ukraine, and those units have been named, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.
Aug. 10, 2021 SECDEF requests mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for military By mid-September, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will request a waiver from President Joe Biden to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for service members, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby said.