Biden To Nominate Retired General at Pentagon, Introduce Health Team To Battle COVID-19
President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired General Lloyd Austin to be his defense secretary as soon as Tuesday, a person familiar with the decision said, and will publicly introduce the health team that will lead…
President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired General Lloyd Austin to be his defense secretary as soon as Tuesday, a person familiar with the decision said, and will publicly introduce the health team that will lead his administration’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Austin, 67, a former head of U.S. Central Command who oversaw forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, will be the first Black U.S. secretary of defense if the U.S. Senate confirms him.
He was a surprise pick over Michele Flournoy, a former top Defense Department official who was considered the leading contender for the job. Flournoy would have been the first woman defense secretary.
Austin, who retired in 2016, needs a waiver from Congress to take the post, as he has been out of the military less than the required seven years. President Donald Trump’s first Pentagon chief, retired Marine general James Mattis, also needed a waiver to serve.
Known as a shrewd strategist with deep knowledge of the armed forces, he developed a working relationship with Biden during the Obama administration and has been advising the transition team on national security issues, the person familiar with the decision to name him said.
The nomination could draw fire from some progressive groups given Austin’s role in retirement on the board of a number of companies, including weapons maker Raytheon Technologies Corp.
But it will help answer complaints from advocacy groups about the need for more racial diversity in Biden’s Cabinet appointments, including complaints from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about the number of Latinos and from civil rights groups about the lack of prominent Black nominees.
After Biden introduces the leadership of his new health team on Tuesday he will have a virtual meeting with civil rights leaders who have been pressing him about the need for more Blacks in top administration posts.