The US Senate has confirmed Retd Gen. Lloyd J. Austin as the nation’s Secretary of Defence, making him the first ever Black Pentagon Chief .
A 93-2 vote gave President Joe Biden his second Cabinet member as Avril Haines was confirmed as the first woman to serve as Director of National Intelligence.
Lloyd J. Austin is a West Point graduate who rose to the Army’s elite ranks and “marched through racial barriers” in a 41-year career.
He retired in 2016 after serving as the first Black general to head U.S. Central Command. He was also the first Black vice Chief of Staff of the Army in 2012 and also served as director of the Joint Staff, a behind-the-scenes job that gave him an close view of the Pentagon’s inner workings.
Gen. Austin has tendency to shy from publicity and describes himself as the son of a postal worker and a homemaker from Thomasville, Georgia. He has promised to speak his mind to Congress and to President Biden.
The President is looking for Austin to restore stability atop the Pentagon, which went through two Senate-confirmed Secretaries of Defence and four who held the post on an interim basis during the Trump administration.
At his confirmation hearing, Austin said he had not sought the nomination but was ready to lead the Pentagon without clinging to his military status and is fully aware that being a political appointee and Cabinet member requires “a different perspective and unique duties from a career in uniform.”
As vice president, Biden worked closely with Austin in 2010-11 to wind down U.S. military involvement in Iraq while Austin was the top U.S. commander in Baghdad.
The President said in December when he announced Austin as his nominee that he considered him “the person we need at this moment,” and that he trusts Austin to ensure civilian control of the military.
Critics of the nomination have questioned the wisdom of making an exception to the law against a recently retired military officer serving as defence secretary, noting that the prohibition was put in place to guard against undue military influence in national security matters.
He has however promised to surround himself with qualified civilians and he made clear at his confirmation hearing that he embraces Biden’s early focus on combatting the coronavirus pandemic.
“I will quickly review the department’s contributions to coronavirus relief efforts, ensuring we are doing everything we can — and then some — to help distribute vaccines across the country and to vaccinate our troops and preserve readiness,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Austin also pledged to address white supremacy and violent extremism in the ranks of the military. He further promised to “rid our ranks of racists,” and said he takes the problem personally.
“The Defence Department’s job is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks.
“This is not something we can be passive on. This is something I think we have to be active on, and we have to lean into it and make sure that we’re doing the right things to create the right climate.”
