Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin used a speech at West Point Wednesday to forcefully endorse having women in combat roles and emphasize the military's obligation to defend the U.S. Constitution — ideals some fear may come under fire in the upcoming Trump administration.
Speaking to cadets at the U.S. Military Academy in New York, he recalled commanding troops during the early days of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He said he wanted to keep his command post at the front where he could see the fight, but he told his soldiers that the risks were serious and any of them could stay back and no one would think less of them.
