A new administration often results in changes in approach, and the new Department of Defense is no different. President Biden has nominated recently-retired General Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense, and he will likely bring major changes from the approach of the previous Trump administration. The Biden administration seeks to bring a sharp turn away from the nationalistic and isolationist approach of the previous administration, and the DOD nominee lines up with this stance.
President Biden has remarked on the new challenges that his administration will face in the international setting. Biden commented in an interview with NBC that “President Trump has changed the landscape. It’s become America first, it’s been America alone.” Already the new administration seeks to rectify this, and has seeked co-operation with key allies in response to recent events. General Austin wrote in a letter that his Department “will work with our allies and never underestimate our enemies,” and that the administration will look to the national security issues of the future.
The new administration will also review the military’s withdrawal of troops from conflict-stricken regions. Under President Trump, the military reduced the number of troops in regions such as Afghanistan and Iraq; Trump ordered the removal of over 3,000 US troops from those two conflicts, reducing the US presence there. While Austin did not confirm that he would increase US numbers in those regions, he has stated that he will review what presence the United States should have in Iraq and Afghanistan.