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On Memorial Day, Austin reflects on strength of US military and dismisses adversaries' criticism
CNN
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told CNN he won't lose any sleep over US military forces from China and Russia and dismissed accusations by some conservative politicians and media figures that the US military's latest recruiting efforts to attract more diversity and be more inclusive are weakening America's security.
The US military will never be "soft," Austin told CNN's Barbara Starr in a wide-ranging Memorial Day interview, adding that America's adversaries, like China and Russia, "would like to capitalize on talking points like that." "I will not lose one minute of sleep about what the Chinese leadership is saying or what (Russian President) Vladimir Putin is saying. What I will focus on, and what I am focused on is the defense of this nation, and making sure that we have what's needed to be successful," the defense secretary said in the exclusive interview that aired Monday.
Foreign adversaries including Russia and China have recently directed their intelligence services to ramp up recruiting of US federal employees working in national security, targeting those who have been fired or feel they could be soon, according to four people familiar with recent US intelligence on the issue.
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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky should apologize after his meeting with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office devolved into what Rubio described as a “fiasco,” while questioning whether the Ukrainian leader really wants peace in the country’s war with Russia.