BIDEN TAPS RETIRED US GENERAL LLOYD AUSTIN TO LEAD PENTAGON

Wed 09 December 2020:

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate retired Army General Lloyd Austin to be his first defense secretary, Biden wrote in an essay in The Atlantic on Tuesday. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin — the former head of U.S. Central Command and military forces in Iraq — would be the first Black man to lead the Pentagon.

“I’ve spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the White House Situation Room. I’ve sought his advice, seen his command, and admired his calm and his character. He is the definition of a patriot,” Biden wrote in the essay.

Biden’s transition team said in a statement confirming the expected announcement that Austin “is a deeply experienced and highly decorated commander who has served with distinction in several of the Pentagon’s most crucial positions.”

“He is a true and tested soldier and leader,” Biden wrote, recalling their interactions in Iraq when Austin commanded U.S. troops in the country. “I’ve spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the White House Situation Room. I’ve sought his advice, seen his command, and admired his calm and his character. He is the definition of a patriot. He rose through the Army’s ranks during his distinguished and trailblazing career.”

The president-elect added that Austin “shares my profound belief that the United States is strongest when we lead not only with the example of our power, but with the power of our example.” Biden’s office said the president-elect will formally introduce Austin at an event in Wilmington, Delaware, on Wednesday.

He was previously the first Black leader of US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US operations in the Middle East.

He led CENTCOM from 2013, and oversaw much of the US operations intended to roll back Daesh/ISIS in Iraq and Syria after it quickly large swathes of territory beginning the same year as Austin’s appointment. He retired from the post in 2016.

While Austin left the Pentagon just four years ago, which is three years short of the seven-year statutory requirement for former military officials to assume the Pentagon’s top post, Biden said he hoped Congress would grant him a waiver as it did with former Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

“Given the immense and urgent threats and challenges our nation faces, he should be confirmed swiftly,” Biden wrote.

But Austin faces a couple of hurdles, including his position in recent years as a member of the board of directors of defense contractor Raytheon. And some elements of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party are likely to be unhappy about yet another former uniformed commander — and one with ties to a defense contractor — serving as the civilian leader of the military.

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