Sen. Mitch McConnell, DOD Sec. Lloyd Austin Win Reagan 'Peace Through Strength Award'

The winners of this year’s Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute “Peace Through Strength Award” are none other than Biden administration Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY).

Austin, who has been criticized for implementing “woke” military policies as the Department of Defense (DOD) leader, and McConnell, who just went through yet another major health scare while on the job at the Capitol, were recognized for their “extraordinary contributions to the state of our national defense” in a press release from the Reagan institute. 

“After his service in uniform, Secretary Austin continued to serve his country, leading our military as America faces an unprecedented array of challenges. Leader McConnell has dedicated his career to advancing American strength and promoting freedom around the globe,” said Roger Zakheim, the institute’s director. 

“In their own ways, each of this year’s awardees embody peace through strength in a time of transition, and I look forward to hearing their thoughts on the threats facing America and the world as they transition out of some of our country’s most senior leadership posts,” Zakheim added.

While accepting his award at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California on Saturday, McConnell appeared to bash President-elect Donald Trump:

“Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America’s place,” the Senate minority leader said. “But let’s be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline,” he added, seemingly paraphrasing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, which was also used by Reagan during his 1980 presidential run.

Just before the November 5 election, Sec. Austin was criticized by Republican lawmakers after active-duty service members complained that they were not given absentee ballots to cast their votes, Breitbart News reported.

In a letter sent to the DOD leader, Reps. Brian Mast (R-FL), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), and Mike Waltz (R-FL) said they had “grave concern over deficiencies in the Defense Department’s protocols” involving voting. 

“Our nation’s brave men and women in uniform brought to our attention that there has been inadequate education at the administrative level on how to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, and fill in a federal write-in absentee ballot if their state-issued ballot does not arrive in time,” the lawmakers wrote.

“Other service members also stated that when a request for a federal write-in absentee ballot was made, they were told the base’s stockpile of such ballots was depleted and had not been replenished.”

Austin did not appear to respond publicly to the letter, but DOD spokespeople told Reuters that “each state is responsible for sending out ballots and managing their election process,” including for active-duty members of the military.