President-elect Joe Biden There are plans to appoint retired Army General Lloyd Aust Stein to be his first Secretary of Defense, multiple people familiar with the plans told CBS News. If confirmed, Austin Stein – U.S. He will be the first black man to lead the Pentagon – the former commander of Central Command and the military in Iraq.
The 67-year-old retired in 2016 as a Four Star Army general and will become the second former uniformed military commander to head the Department of Defense in the last four years. Like the former Marine General James Mattis, Who served as President Trump’s first Pentagon president, Austin Stein will need a special pardon by Congress to exempt military officers from having to wait seven years before serving as Secretary of Defense.
Mr. Biden told reporters in Delaware on Monday that he plans to make a formal formal announcement of his choice to lead the Department of Defense during an event in his hometown of Wilmington on Friday. But aides said late Monday that the announcement could now be made as early as possible.
Stin’s emergence as a potential choice Amid growing calls from national civil rights organizations and the Democratic Asian, Black and Latino Caucus, Mr. Biden’s emergence as a potential choice to appoint minorities and women to senior cabinet positions.
Pablo Martinez Monsivis / AP
Late Monday, Nevada Democratic Representative Steven Horsford, who serves as a liaison between the Biden transition team and the Congressional Black Caucus, said he was pleased with the selection of this historic historical candidate for President-elect Biden. Once confirmed, former General Lloyd Austin Stein will be the first African American to lead the Department of Defense and provide critical leadership to men and women serving in our country and defending our freedom. “
Other candidates Considered for the role Michelle Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense policy, was qualified by many Democrats to be the second potential history maker to become the first woman to lead the Pentagon, and Jah Johnson, a former homeland security secretary who previously served. General Adviser to the Department of Defense.
Austin Stein was the top US commanding general on the ground in Iraq during the Obama-era troop reduction, and Mr. Biden met with Instein when he visited Iraq in 2011. Austin oversaw the removal of U.S. troops and equipment from Iraq. That year – a huge logistical feat that Biden’s teammates are likely to play next week as the Department of Defense prepares to help deliver one COVID-19 The vaccine. He was also involved in a national security briefing that Mr. Biden received from experts outside the government when he had not yet received the President’s daily briefing.
But Austin Stein faces a number of hurdles, including his position in recent years as a member of the board of directors of defense contractor Raytheon. And some elements of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing are likely to be serving as another civilian commander in the military – and in connection with the defense pact – as a civilian leader of the military.
Biden transition officials declined to comment late Monday night. Politico was the first to announce Austin’s nomination.
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