Retired four-star Gen. Lloyd Austin, a Mobile native and former head of U.S. Central Command, has been tapped by President-elect Joe Biden to lead the Pentagon as secretary of defense, according to reports published Monday night.
Austin, selected to be Biden’s chief military and national security adviser as defense secretary, would be the first Black person to hold that post if confirmed by the Senate. He would also be the second consecutive Alabama native to serve in a presidential administration; former Sen. Jeff Sessions -- who lives in the Mobile area -- served as President Trump’s first U.S. attorney general.
The Mobile native would need a waiver to serve as defense secretary since seven years have yet to pass since he retired from the military.
While no public announcement has been made by Biden, three people with knowledge of discussions of the president-elect’s defense secretary pick said he has chosen Austin, according to Politico. CNN also confirmed that report.
Former Obama Secretary of Defense Ash Carter called Austin, at his 2016 retirement, a “soldier’s soldier,” while Obama said he “relied on his wise judgment and steadfast leadership.”
“General Austin’s character and competence exemplify what America demands of its military leaders,” Obama said, according to a 2016 profile in Military.com.
A 2014 profile of Austin in The New York Times referred to him as an “invisible general.”
“He shuns the limelight, largely avoids engaging in politics and seldom speaks to the press, often declining interviews. In an age when many generals tweet and blog, he most certainly does not. That seems to have helped his career,” the writer Ernesto Londoño wrote.
The website for Austin’s consulting firm attributes a quote to him: “Take care of your people and they will refuse to let you fail.” Born in Mobile in 1953, Austin began his career in the U.S. Army in 1975 as second lieutenant in the infantry and rose through the ranks to command troops in combat in Panama, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
In 2009, he was assigned to the Pentagon as the director of the Joint Staff, followed by another tour in Iraq as the commanding general of United States Forces-Iraq.
He later served as the 12th commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2013 to 2016 and oversaw the military campaign to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. He retired from the military in 2016 to found The Austin Strategy Group, a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm.
Austin holds a degree from the United States Military Academy (West Point), an MA in education from Auburn University and an MBA from Webster University. He has been awarded five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the country’s highest noncombat-related military award; three Distinguished Service Medals; the Silver Star, the nation’s third highest award for valor in combat and two Legions of Merit.
He currently serves on the boards of Raytheon, Tenet Healthcare, United Technologies and Nucor Corporation, according to his website.
This post was updated with the reasoning why Austin would need a waiver to serve as defense secretary.
"Mobile" - Google News
December 07, 2020 at 07:55PM
https://ift.tt/36U2bip
Mobile’s Gen. Lloyd Austin picked as Biden defense secretary: Reports - al.com
"Mobile" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2P9t7Cg
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Mobile’s Gen. Lloyd Austin picked as Biden defense secretary: Reports - al.com"
Post a Comment