US President-elect Biden nominates retired General Lloyd Austin as the new Secretary of Defense. Austin was the Middle East Forces Commander under ex-President Obama and retired in 2016. He would need special approval from the Senate for the post. Retired four-star General Lloyd Austin is said to be the first African American in history to become Secretary of Defense. The elected US President Joe Biden nominated the 67-year-old to head the Pentagon. In his four decades-long military career, Austin has demonstrated “exemplary leadership qualities” and strength of character, Biden said. He also highlighted the 67-year-old’s great experience. “He is qualified like no other to take on the challenges and crises of the current time.” The former commander of key US military command Centcom should lead the armed forces with “dignity and determination” and reinvigorate relations with US allies in the face of global threats, added Biden. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris recognized Austin as “an experienced, highly decorated and groundbreaking commander”.

Biden is likely to rely on Austin Schwarz’s ex-general to head the Pentagon

US media had already reported on Monday evening that Biden had chosen Austin as Secretary of Defense. That came as a surprise to many. Former Defense State Secretary Michèle Flournoy had been considered the favorite for the post. She would have become the first female defense minister in history. Austin can look back on a successful military career with deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq. The graduate of the renowned West Point military academy was involved in 2003 as a commander in the invasion of US troops in Baghdad.

Criticism of proximity to the arms industry

In the following two years he headed Combined Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan, which was supposed to ensure stability in the civil war country. In 2010 he became commander in chief of the US armed forces in Iraq and in the following year led the withdrawal of troops from the country ordered by then President Barack Obama. Two years later, Obama appointed Austin as the first African American in history to command the US military command Centcom, which is responsible for the Middle East and Afghanistan, among other things. Austin was thus responsible for the US’s fight against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia in Iraq and Syria. Austin retired in 2016 and joined the board of directors of defense company Raytheon Technologies. Because of this proximity to the defense industry, his nomination as Minister of Defense has now met with criticism. It is also criticized that only four years have passed between his exit from the armed forces and his nomination as Minister of Defense. A law actually stipulates a waiting period of seven years. Austin will therefore need special approval from Congress. He then has to be confirmed in office by the Senate.

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