Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that, in his more than three years of working with Vice President Kamala Harris, she has been with him and the president for some of their toughest decisions and "always a part of the process."

The assessment, which Austin offered in response to a question about the vice president from reporters during a Pentagon press conference, comes just days after President Joe Biden's surprise decision not to seek reelection in November and Harris being on track to take over for him at the top of the Democratic ticket.

Austin, a retired four-star Army^[1] general and now a civilian Cabinet member and Biden appointee, painted Harris as prepared and always engaged on national security issues. He said at the start of his remarks that he was not making "any kind of political commentary" but rather relaying what he witnessed as defense secretary.

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If reporters look at what the Biden administration has tackled "over the past three and a half years -- strikes that we've had to take, the deployments^[3] that we've done, the decision to support Ukraine ... there's just thing after thing after thing," Austin said.

"She's always there, she's always a part of the process, and she's always very engaged," he added.

In her brief time as the likely presidential nominee, Harris has already started to receive scrutiny from Republicans for her role on tackling immigration from Central America, while she has begun to highlight her background as a prosecutor.

As a result, little is known about her views on the military^[4] and veterans issues or how she would act as commander in chief. The Associated Press reported Thursday^[5] that Harris was scheduled to meet separately with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, apart from a meeting Biden had scheduled with the Israeli leader during his visit to Washington, D.C., suggesting she may become more involved in global security issues as a presidential candidate.

Austin's remarks suggested that, while Harris may have been out of the public eye for much of the Biden administration's time in the White House, she was an active participant in national security decisions.

"I've seen her help the team, help the president work through some very, very complex issues," Austin said, adding that "she is a key player."

In 2021, Harris told CNN^[6] that she was the last person in the room and supported Biden's decision to completely withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Austin also noted that Harris has "represented this country in the international arena, on the international stage, a number of times."

In November 2022, Harris met with Chinese leader^[7] Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an economic leadership conference in Thailand. "She understands ... national security, international affairs," Austin argued, citing that meeting.

Harris has not met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who launched an invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The U.S., NATO allies and nations around the world have since worked to equip and support the Ukrainians in their fight against the Russian aggression.

The Pentagon considers China its "pacing challenge" on the world stage, and the current U.S. National Defense Strategy, released in March 2022, labels Russia as an "acute" threat.

As of Thursday, Harris' campaign website did not have any policy statements. However, in 2019, when she first ran for president, Harris released a detailed plan for veterans and service members^[8] that largely focused on improving benefits and care offered to veterans.

The plan called for extending Department of Veterans Affairs health care and housing assistance to veterans with other-than-honorable discharges stemming from PTSD or brain injuries, as well as improving military housing, creating a grant program for housing homeless^[9] veterans, cracking down on fraud against service members and veterans, and making it easier for immigrants to serve in the military and apply for citizenship if they do.

-- Rebecca Kheel contributed to this report.

Related: Here's Kamala Harris' Record on Veterans and Military Issues^[10]

WARREN, Michigan — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Labor to announce Monday the launch of a $50 million partnership focused on workforce training for defense manufacturing.

The Michigan Maritime Manufacturing Initiative, also known as M3, will train workers at local community colleges in skills for maritime construction, particularly welding and machining, officials said. The Biden-Harris Administration is strategically investing in Michigan as part of a national economic and defense policy initiative aimed at meeting the Navy’s goal of increasing submarine production.

"This massive partnership between federal, state and local leaders will help Michigan build a workforce to lead the future of defense," Whitmer said during the announcement at Macomb Community College. "In short, it will help us get ship done."

Michigan’s community colleges, including Macomb Community College and Oakland Community College, will serve as a resource for developing and providing advanced and technical training to address the Navy’s manufacturing supplier chain’s need for workers. Of the $50 million, $16 million will be used for an accelerated welding and computer numerical controlled machining training program to start this fall that will introduce a maritime-focused skilled trades pipeline.

The initiative also includes $2 million toward educational outreach and engagement programs to provide K-12 students with hands-on career and technical education and generate an interest in maritime manufacturing careers.

"I can think of no better place than Michigan to shape the next generation of 'new-collar' workers, combining traditionally blue-collar trades with the cutting-edge technologies of today," Del Toro said. "Michiganders today, like during World War II, we need your skills, your dedication and your pioneering spirit to continue our legacy as the world’s greatest naval power."

Whitmer said the initiative will also connect suppliers in Michigan to the broader submarine industrial base, whether they're existing suppliers for the Navy or auto suppliers looking to expand.

“As M3 takes root, training the next generation of workers sends a message to manufacturers across the nation- come to Michigan because we're here in Michigan,” she said. “We are excellent making stuff, whether it's ships or semiconductor chips or potato chips.”

Whitmer has said the state’s defense industry contributes $30 billion to the economy, supporting more than 166,000 jobs and nearly 4,000 businesses. She said Michigan produces more military vehicles than any other state.

She noted that Michigan is home to major defense companies including General Dynamics, BAE and GM Defense.

Other investments in the initiative announced Monday include up to $10.75 million over five years in ACENet, which will increase a growing national hub-and-spoke network of advanced machining training centers that trains users through computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing platforms, $3 million for an attraction and recruitment campaign, and $750,000 to collaborate with veteran placement agencies and the Department of Labor’s Veteran Employment and Training Service programs to help transition veterans returning to Michigan to join the submarine and maritime sectors.

Michigan U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat, noted the numerous suppliers in the aerospace industry, the increase in advanced manufacturing and autonomy, and the new program with the U.S. Navy.

"We have workers, we have engineers who are the best in the world," he said. "We know how to make things. We do it better than anywhere else and people are recognizing that and coming to our great state."

©2024 www.detroitnews.com. Visit at detroitnews.com^[1]. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

As a new school year approaches, a group of Senate Democrats is pressing the Defense Department to implement legally mandated reforms meant to prevent sexual assault in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program.

While the Pentagon previously told lawmakers^[1] it has an "unwavering commitment" to the safety of high school students participating in the program, the lawmakers said the department needs to show that commitment by carrying out the changes Congress required in its annual defense policy bill.

"These reforms are necessary to ensure schools protect students from sexual misconduct by JROTC instructors and do not force students into the program against their will," the senators wrote in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent Monday and obtained exclusively by Military.com. "We urge you to implement these reforms prior to the start of the 2024-2025 school year, and we request information on how you will do so."

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The letter was organized by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee's personnel subcommittee. It was co-signed by fellow Armed Services Committee members Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the letter or the status of implementing the reforms, telling Military.com in an email that "as with all congressional correspondence, the department will respond directly to the members."

Warren previously spearheaded a bill^[3] to reform the JROTC after revelations that instructors engaged in widespread sexual misconduct against high school cadets in a program meant to instill leadership skills and citizenship values in teenagers. Elements of that bill were included in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, that was signed into law last year.

Allegations of sexual assault in the JROTC program first came to light in a 2022 New York Times investigation^[4] that found at least 33 JROTC instructors had been criminally charged with sexual crimes in the preceding five years. The Times also uncovered that some schools^[5] were forcing students to participate in the program.

Spurred by the Times report, the House Oversight Committee launched its own investigation^[6] that uncovered that 60 instructors had been accused of sexual misconduct in the same five-year time frame. Of those, allegations against 58 instructors were substantiated by local law enforcement or school officials.

In a letter last year sent to Warren and other senators, the Pentagon revealed that, over the previous 10 years, military officials received 114 allegations of instructors committing violence, sexual abuse, or sexual harassment against JROTC cadets.

The JROTC program is a partnership between the Defense Department, the military branches and high schools around the country, with more than 3,500 units nationally and nearly 500,000 students participating. Instructors are often retired or reserve military officers employed by the school district, but can be active-duty service members.

Unlike the college-level ROTC program, there is no requirement to serve in the military after the JROTC. But defense officials see it as a key pipeline^[7] to military service at a time when the armed forces^[8] are struggling to recruit young people.

Even after the JROTC issues became publicly known, reports of sexual misconduct by instructors have persisted. Earlier this year, an instructor in Florida was fired after students alleged^[9] he made sexually suggestive comments, asked students out for drinks, and touched a student's shoulder and thighs.

In an effort to prevent situations like that, last year's NDAA required the Pentagon and military services to sign standardized agreements with every school with a JROTC program. The agreements must include a requirement that schools notify the department about allegations of misconduct against an instructor within 48 hours; a process for certifying instructors that includes a background check; a process for the military services to inspect schools' programs at least once every four years; and a requirement that schools provide students a way to report sexual assault and harassment and training on how to make reports.

Under the law, the Pentagon can put JROTC programs on probation for up to three years if they don't follow these agreements.

The NDAA also required the Pentagon to submit annual reports to Congress on misconduct allegations in the JROTC and any steps the department took to mitigate sexual misconduct that year.

In their letter Monday, the senators asked the Pentagon when it plans to finalize the agreements with schools; how the department will ensure schools are training students on reporting sexual misconduct; and how students and families will be able to report to the Pentagon when schools aren't following the agreements, among more than a dozen other questions. They requested the answers by Aug. 5.

"We are glad that the president's budget request included an additional $2 million to support the increased oversight reforms established in the FY 2024 NDAA," the senators wrote, referring to the fiscal 2025 budget request. "DoD must make its commitment clear by fully implementing these reforms before the 2024-2025 school year begins."

Related: Military Focusing on JROTC Programs as Chances to Paint Picture of Service to Gen Z Dwindle^[10]