Biden hopes to “end the eternal wars” of the United States

By:
EFE

04:36 PM / 09/12/2020-
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The president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, advocated on Wednesday 9-D to “end the eternal wars” of his country and ensure that the use of force is always “the last tool”, saying that the Pentagon should focus more on the “challenges of the future”.

Biden made the remarks when formally introducing his candidate to lead the Pentagon, retired General Lloyd Austin, who if confirmed by the Senate will become the first African-American secretary of defense in the country’s history.

“We have to end eternal wars, and make sure that the use of force is the last tool we can turn to,” Biden said at the presentation in Wilmington, Delaware.

The president-elect did not refer explicitly to the war in Afghanistan, the longest in US history, or to the other missions that the United States has deployed in countries such as Somalia, Syria and Iraq.

US President Donald Trump has announced a withdrawal of troops in all these countries, and barely plans to leave 2,500 troops in Afghanistan when he leaves power in January, the same number of soldiers who will remain in Iraq.

During the launch event, both Biden and Austin cited “rebuilding” America’s traditional alliances as one of their priorities when they come to power, with particular mention of the Europe, Asia and the Pacific regions.

“I think the United States is stronger when it works with its allies. If (the Senate) confirms me, I will take back that important job,” Austin promised.

Between 2013 and 2016, the retired four-star general was head of the Central Command, in charge of operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria, most of the countries where the US is or has been at war.

However, Austin faces an obstacle to entering Biden’s cabinet: He has only been out of the military for four years, while US law requires at least seven years to pass before retired military personnel can hold government positions.

That is why Biden has asked Congress to grant an exception to Austin, something that will have to be voted on in both houses of the Capitol and that was last granted to the first Secretary of Defense of the Administration of President Donald Trump in 2017, James Mattis.

“I would not ask for this exception if I did not believe that this moment in history demands it,” said Biden, who stressed that, unlike in other positions in his cabinet, Austin did not express his interest in being Secretary of Defense, but that he He offered it himself.

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