That Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary of Defense, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and that the following articles of impeachment be exhibited to the United States Senate: Article of impeachment exhibited by the House of Representatives of the United States of America in the name of itself and of the people of the United States of America, against Lloyd James Austin III, Secretary of Defense, in maintenance and support of its impeachment against him for high crimes and misdemeanors. Article 1.—Lloyd James Austin III, in his conduct as Secretary of Defense, has acted contrary to the trust and duty of an Officer of the United States and has degraded the honor of the United States by providing aid to its enemies: Secretary Austin took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, when he was sworn in as Secretary of Defense on January 22, 2021. Secretary Austin failed to uphold his oath of office when he allowed a Chinese high-altitude balloon to fly over North American airspace unimpeded from January 28 to February 4, 2023: (1) Secretary Austin’s failure to demolish or obstruct the balloon when it was first detected resulted in the balloon hovering over Malmstrom Air Force base, which is one of three U.S. military sites that houses intercontinental ballistic missiles. (2) Secretary Austin failed to meet the duties of his office by either willfully ignoring available reports or failing to investigate the properties of an enemy balloon over U.S. military bases: in the months following the incident it was widely reported that the balloon had the ability to capture images and transmit signals despite initial statements from the Pentagon. Whether Secretary Austin knowingly or unknowingly allowed an enemy to collect data on U.S. military bases, his conduct proves him unfit for Office and shows a dereliction of duty. (3) Despite the balloon being tracked by the Pentagon when it entered Montana air space on January 31, 2023, Secretary Austin