国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀丰富的军事生涯不仅让他为这些角色做好了准备外交和威慑在美国外交政策中发挥作用，但对于如何正面解决种族和极端主义他在美国广播公司周日的“本周”节目中说。
压倒性地经参议院确认作为乔·拜登总统的国防部长，奥斯汀克服了国会议员最初对提名另一位最近退休的军事领导人担任这一职务的担忧。
但奥斯汀说，他41年的军旅生涯不仅帮助他理解了“战斗的复杂性”，也帮助他理解了外交的重要性。
奥斯汀对《本周》联合主播玛莎·拉德达兹说:“我们希望在任何情况下都以外交手段为主导。”。“但如果威慑失败，那么你必须战斗。你为胜利而战。”
他说:“你要确保你的部队得到适当的资源，适当的训练，并以正确的方式集中精力，这样他们不仅能赢，而且能决定性地赢。”。
奥斯汀并没有忘记作为第一位担任国防部长的非洲裔美国人的历史意义，他说，他仍然记得在南部腹地长大时在汽车站看到过隔离浴室。
奥斯汀说:“我小时候就是这样开始的，能够在有生之年晋升到国防部长的职位是非常不可思议的。”。“但是你必须问问你自己，你知道，为什么要花这么长时间才有一个非裔美国国防部长。”
奥斯汀说他会的寻求创造机会为在军队服役的非裔美国人和拉丁裔美国人，这样他们就可以升到最高级别，并确保“我不是最后一位非裔美国国防部长。”
洛丽塔·巴尔多/美联社档案
国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀登上美国海军航空母舰“尼米特”号后对记者说
他议程上的另一个关键是提高军方对这个问题的认识队伍中的极端主义强调他们宣誓捍卫的宪法理想。
虽然他认为“我们99.9%的军队信奉这些价值观，专注于正确的事情，每天都在做正确的事情”，但一个月前，他命令世界各地的美国军队花一天时间讨论极端主义。
奥斯汀说，军事领导人已经“与他们的部队就价值观、我们所做的誓言以及部队凝聚力的重要性进行了一些真正深入的对话”。
“你知道，这不是关于政党或政治信仰，”奥斯汀说。“这种行为真的会撕裂我们机构的结构。因此，我们希望确保我们的军队被提醒我们的价值观，被提醒我们宣誓加入的誓言。"
在世界舞台上，奥斯汀已经被要求向拜登提供他在中东的专业知识紧张加剧了在伊拉克和美国军队一起遭到火箭袭击来自伊朗支持的什叶派民兵。
上周，在他总统任期内的第一次军事行动中，拜登下令报复性空袭伊朗支持的伊拉克民兵使用的叙利亚东部的一个设施，他们被指责对美国设施发动火箭袭击。
但是几天后，10发射了火箭在伊拉克西部广阔的艾因阿萨德空军基地，那里驻扎着2500名仍在伊拉克的士兵。没有服役人员在袭击中受伤，但一名美国平民承包商在躲避来袭火箭时死于心脏病。
奥斯汀告诉拉德茨，美国是仍在评估中他是美国空袭后几天在艾因阿萨德空军基地对美军发动火箭袭击的幕后黑手。
索尔·勒布/法新社，通过盖蒂图像，文件
美国总统乔·拜登在美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀抵达时用肘撞了他一下
奥斯汀说，如果美国决定再次对民兵进行报复，那将是“在我们自己选择的时间和地点”
奥斯汀说:“你可以期待我们将永远让人们为他们的行为负责。”。“我们要求保护我们军队的权利。”
奥斯汀说，作为民兵的主要支持者，伊朗“完全有能力评估”美国空袭的意图，并得出自己的结论。
奥斯汀说:“他们应该从中吸取的教训是，我们要保卫我们的军队。”。“我们的回应会很周到。”
“我们希望他们会选择做正确的事情，”他补充说。
奥斯汀的部分工作描述是与美国军事盟友和伙伴的高级领导人接触。
就沙特阿拉伯而言，这是一个有趣的情况，因为沙特国防部长是王储穆罕默德·本·萨尔曼，他上周是被美国情报机构牵连批准谋杀记者Jamal Khashoggi。
奥斯汀说:“我们的总统已经明确表示，未来我们将与沙特保持不同类型的关系。”。“不代表关系不会好;我完全期待会是一段很好的感情，但会有点不一样。”
索尔·勒布/法新社，通过盖蒂图像，文件
在这张档案照片中，美国国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀在总统乔·比德访问期间发表讲话
奥斯汀指出，虽然他理解与沙特阿拉伯合作作为中东的关键战略伙伴，“这并不意味着你不能让他们对各种事情负责。”
当被问及为什么王储不在拜登政府因哈肖吉之死而批准的沙特人之列时，他回答说:“我们将按照我们的价值观领导，但我们将保护我们的利益。”
奥斯汀描述了冠状病毒大流行这是对国家安全的威胁，并使美国军方优先帮助平民当局。
美国广播公司新闻
国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀与美国广播公司首席全球事务记者马特谈话
除了数千名国民警卫队队员和现役军人协助新冠肺炎的应对工作外，奥斯丁还授权使用6235名现役军人帮助联邦应急管理局进行疫苗接种大规模疫苗接种中心。
奥斯汀说:“军队有很大的能力，我们可以增加我们努力参与的任何事情的速度和规模。”。"我去拜访了我们正在接种疫苗的部队。"
奥斯汀说:“不仅看到我们的部队对他们正在做的事情的感受，而且看到美国公众对与我们的部队互动的反应，这真的很了不起。”。“简直太神奇了，简直太棒了。”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin brings experience dealing with racism, extremism to Pentagon
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's extensive military career has not only prepared him for the rolesdiplomacy and deterrenceplay in American foreign policy, but for how to tackle head-on the issues ofrace and extremismin the military he said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
Overwhelminglyconfirmed by the Senateas President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Austin overcame initial concerns raised by members of Congress about the nomination of another recently retired military leader in the job.
But Austin said his 41 years in uniform have helped him not only appreciate "the complexities of combat," but the importance of diplomacy as well.
"We want to lead with diplomacy in every case," Austin told "This Week" Co-anchor Martha Raddatz. "But if deterrence fails, then you must fight. You fight to win."
"You want to make sure that that your troops are properly resourced, properly trained and focused the right way so that they can not only win, but win decisively," he said.
The historical significance of being the first African American to serve as defense secretary is not lost on Austin, who said he still recalls seeing segregated bathrooms at a bus station while growing up in the Deep South.
"That's kind of how I started as a child and to rise -- to be able to rise -- to a position of secretary of defense in my lifetime is quite incredible," said Austin. "But you have to ask yourself, you know, why it took so long to get to have an African American secretary of defense."
Austin said he willseek to create opportunitiesfor African Americans and Latinos serving in the military so they can rise to the highest ranks and ensure "that I am not the last African American secretary of defense."
Also key on his agenda is raising awareness within the military about the the issue ofextremism in the ranksand stressing the constitutional ideals they are sworn to defend.
While he believes that "99.9% of our troops embrace those values and are focused on the right things and are doing the right things each and every day" a month ago he ordered American military units worldwide to take a day to discuss extremism.
Military leaders are already "having some really in-depth conversations with their troops on values, on the oath that we took, on the importance of unit cohesion," said Austin.
"This is not about, you know, political parties or political beliefs," said Austin. "This is behavior that can really tear at the fabric of our institution. And so we want to make sure that our troops are reminded of of what our values are, reminded of the oath that we took coming in.'"
On the world stage, Austin has already been called upon to provide Biden with his expertise in the Middle East astensions have increasedin Iraq with American forcescoming under rocket attackfrom Shiite militias backed by Iran.
Last week, in the first military action of his presidency, Biden ordereda retaliatory airstrikeon a facility in eastern Syria used by Iranian-backed Iraqi militias blamed for the rocket attacks on U.S. facilities.
But days later, 10rockets were firedat the sprawling Ain al-Asad airbase in western Iraq that houses many of the 2,500 troops still in Iraq. No service members were injured in the attack, but an American civilian contractor died from a heart attack while sheltering from the incoming rockets.
Austin told Raddatz that the U.S. isstill assessingwho was behind the rocket attack against U.S. forces at Ain al-Asad airbase that took place days after the U.S. airstrike.
If the U.S. decides to retaliate again against the militias, Austin said that it would be "at a time and place of our own choosing."
"You can expect that we will always hold people accountable for their acts," said Austin. "We demand the right to protect our troops."
And Austin said that as the militia's main backers, Iran "is fully capable of assessing" and drawing its own conclusions about the intentions of the American airstrike.
"What they should draw from this again is that we're going to defend our troops," said Austin. "Our response will be thoughtful."
"We would hope that they would choose to do the right things," he added.
Part of Austin's job description is engaging with the senior leaders of America's military allies and partners.
In the case of Saudi Arabia, that presents an interesting situation as the Saudi defense minister is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who last week wasimplicated by U.S. intelligenceas approving the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
"Our president has been clear that we'll have a different type of relationship with the Saudis going forward," said Austin. "It doesn't mean that it won't be a good relationship; I fully expect that it will be a good relationship, but it will be a bit different."
Austin noted that while he understands the importance ofworking with Saudi Arabiaas a key strategic partner in the Middle East "it doesn't mean that you can't hold them accountable for various things."
"We're going to lead with our values, but we're going to protect our interests," he responded when asked why the crown prince was not among the Saudis sanctioned by the Biden administration for Khashoggi's death.
Austin has described thecoronavirus pandemicas a national security threat and made it a priority for the U.S. military to help civilian authorities.
In addition to thousands of National Guardsmen and active duty troops assisting in COVID-19 response efforts, Austin has authorized the use of 6,235 active duty service members to help with vaccinations at Federal Emergency Management Agencymass vaccination centers.
"The military has a significant capability, capacity, and we can add speed and scale to anything that we endeavor to take part in," said Austin. "I've been out to visit our troops that are out there vaccinating."
"It's really remarkable to see not only how our troops feel about what they're doing, but also how the American public responds to the interaction with our troops," said Austin. "It's just amazing, just fantastic."
