U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) on Friday spoke with Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin over the phone to discuss matters relating to the armed forces and national security priorities.
The discussion came one week to the day that Austin was confirmed to lead the Pentagon. Shelby and Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) both voted to support Austin’s confirmation. The retired Army general is a native of Mobile and currently serves on the Auburn University board of trustees.
Shelby is the outgoing chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations and its Subcommittee on Defense. He previously served as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, as well.
“Today I spoke with [Secretary of Defense] Lloyd Austin and reiterated my hope that the Biden Administration’s top priority will be the security of our nation,” Alabama’s senior senator tweeted. “I told him that we must have the best trained, best led, and best equipped military in the world.”
“Secretary Austin and I also discussed my belief that robust investments in readiness and modernization are essential to maintaining a world-renowned military,” Shelby added. “We live in a troubled world. The defense of our nation must be our number one priority.”
The conversation came after Austin on Wednesday voiced his support for including “climate considerations as an essential element of our national security.”
“The Department will immediately take appropriate policy actions to prioritize climate change considerations in our activities and risk assessments, to mitigate this driver of insecurity,” Austin outlined. “As directed by the President, we will include the security implications of climate change in our risk analyses, strategy development, and planning guidance. As a leader in the interagency, the Department of Defense will also support incorporating climate risk analysis into modeling, simulation, wargaming, analysis, and the next National Defense Strategy. And by changing how we approach our own carbon footprint, the Department can also be a platform for positive change, spurring the development of climate-friendly technologies at scale.”
Editor’s note: This article was updated to reflect that Shelby and Lloyd did not meet in person, but rather spoke via a phone call.
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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