President Biden announced the creation of a Chinese Task Force during his first visit to the Pentagon as commander-in-chief to review the Defense Ministry’s strategies to address China’s challenges.
The task force, which will be led by Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Ely Ratner, will include up to 15 civilian and uniformed Defense Department employees. It will review strategy, operational concepts, technology and force structure, as well as defense relations with China.
“It requires a whole government effort, two-pronged cooperation in Congress and strong relationships and partnerships,” said Biden. “That’s how we take up the China challenge and make sure the American people win the game of the future.”
The task force has four months to prepare recommendations for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who introduced both Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Austin and Mr. Biden reflected on the service of Beau Biden, who, while captain in the Delaware National Guard, served under Austin’s command in Iraq. Austin referred to the Biden family as a military family that understands sacrifice. Biden said it is the honor of his life to serve as the commander in chief.
Both Mr. Biden and Vice President Harris paid tribute to African-American service workers, past and present, in their comments. Biden promised to ensure that everyone is treated with respect.
“Right now, more than 40% of our active forces are people of color, and it has been a long time since the full diversity and full strength of our armed forces at every level has been reflected in this division,” said Biden. Austin is the first Black Secretary of Defense.
The visit comes a week after Austin ordered commanders to schedule a date for a “step downto address extremism in the ranks. The Pentagon was alarmed to discover that veterans and active personnel were participating in the January 6 riot at the Capitol that killed five people.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters in a briefing that the attack on the Capitol was “a wake-up call.”
The military has also seen racist incidents within its ranks in recent weeks.
The chief of naval operations has condemned two recent extremist incidents. Graffiti was found in a bathroom on the USS Carl Vinson, and on the USS Lake Champlain, a sailor found a noose on his bunk. Both incidents are under investigation, according to a statement this week from Admiral Michael Gilday.
Contributions: David Martin and Mary Walsh