Lloyd Austin orders Florida National Guard members in Ukraine to leave

Published February 12, 2022 2:52pm ET



Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the roughly 160 Florida National Guard members who are operating in Ukraine in an advisory capacity to leave as the threat of a possible Russian invasion appears to be increasingly likely.

Austin ordered their repositioning “out of an abundance of caution,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement on Saturday morning, adding that the decision was made “with the safety and security of our personnel foremost in mind.”

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