Austin and NATO Leaders Stress Collective Defense Against China Threat

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III shares a laugh with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the NATO defense ministerial at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 22, 2021. Chad J. McNeeley/Department of Defense

During the two-day ministerial meeting in Brussel, Belgium, both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and NATO leaders stressed unity to deal with the current challenges, including threats from the Chinese communist regime.

The ministerial meeting was the first one conducted in person since the COVID-19 pandemic. Austin attended the meeting after visiting the Black Sea region—Romania, Ukraine, and Georgia—earlier this week.