US President-elect Joe Biden is known to have appointed former African-American general Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense.
Politico, a media outlet in the United States, reported on the 7th that the Biden administration’s takeover team will announce General Austin as the nominee for defense secretary.
General Austin, with over 40 years of experience, graduated from West Point US Military Academy in 1975, and was commander of US forces in Iraq from 2010 to 2011, where he commanded the invasion and withdrawal of Iraq.
After that, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, and in 2016 he served as commander of the Central Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Middle East and South Asia.
When General Austin passes Senate approval, the first African defense minister is born.
However, according to the National Security Act enacted in 1947, the defense minister is traditionally in charge of civilians, and in the case of former generals, seven years must pass after discharge. Otherwise, you must get a special parliamentary waiver.
Earlier in 1950, President Harry Truman and President Donald Trump in 2017 were preceded by a special parliamentary waiver to appoint veterans as secretary of defense.
US media have expressed concern over the choice made by Biden, who has pledged to “restore balance.”
In response, an official from Biden’s acquisition team said that unlike in the past, it was selected not for political intentions, but for individual capabilities and extensive experience.
VOA news
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