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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who is set to be the Democratic candidate in November's presidential election, has been a key player on national security issues, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday, adding she provides meaningful and helpful input.
President Joe Biden dropped his bid for reelection on Sunday amid worries that he no longer had the physical or mental stamina to wage what is expected to be a grueling race against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
"Having observed her provide input to some very complex decision making processes, she is always prepared, she always provides meaningful and very helpful input," Austin told reporters.
"The president is the major player in the process but she is a key player," Austin added.
Inside the administration, Harris is known for having a sharp stance on Israel policy, regularly joining Biden's meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and insisting on continued focus on Palestinian civilian deaths. She is set to meet Netanyahu later on Thursday.
Harris has frequently done foreign travel and engagements that Biden couldn't make, particularly in Asia and Latin America.
In Central America, her assignment to work on the root causes of migration made little headway and became a political headache.
She has been Biden's emissary to the Munich security conference, a major gathering of European leaders, including during a February 2022 meeting where she told an initially disbelieving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, citing intelligence, that his country was going to soon be invaded.
In Asia, she attended the funeral for the assassinated leader Shinzo Abe as well as the ASEAN summit of southeast Asian leaders.
"She even met with President Xi and so she understands national security, international affairs," Austin said, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping. "She's been a vital asset to the overall team throughout this."
"Again, that's what I know from sitting in a room with her over three and a half years."
Harris opened up a marginal two-percentage-point lead over Trump after Biden ended his reelection campaign and passed the torch to her, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali, Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Alistair Bell)
