[ad_1]
Wednesday December 09, 2020
Criticism and election of the former general
Biden nominates Austin to head Pentagon
US President-elect Biden nominates retired General Lloyd Austin as the new Secretary of Defense. Austin was the Commander of the Middle East Forces under former President Obama and retired in 2016. He would need special Senate approval for the position.
The retired four-star general Lloyd Austin is said to be the first African-American in history to become Secretary of Defense. US President-elect Joe Biden has nominated the 67-year-old to head the Pentagon. In his four-decade military career, Austin has demonstrated “exemplary leadership qualities” and strength of character, Biden said. He also highlighted the great experience of the 67-year-old man. “He is qualified like no other to face the challenges and crises of the present moment.”
The former commander of the key US military command, Centcom, must lead the military with “dignity and determination” and reinvigorate relations with US allies in the face of global threats, Biden added. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris recognized Austin as “an experienced, highly decorated and innovative commander.”
The US media had already reported Monday night that Biden had chosen Austin as Defense Secretary. That was a surprise to many. The former Secretary of State for Defense, Michèle Flournoy, was considered the favorite for the position. She would have become the first Defense Minister in history. Austin can look back on a successful military career with deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. The graduate of the renowned West Point Military Academy was involved in 2003 as a commander in the invasion of US troops in Baghdad.
Criticism of proximity to the arms industry
For the next two years, he led Combined Joint Task Force 180 in Afghanistan, which was supposed to ensure stability in the civil war country. In 2010 he became commander-in-chief of the US Armed Forces in Iraq and the following year he led the troop withdrawal from the country ordered by then-President Barack Obama. Two years later, Obama named Austin the first African-American in history to command the US military command Centcom, which is responsible for the Middle East and Afghanistan, among other things. Austin was, therefore, responsible for the United States’ fight against the jihadist militia of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.
In 2016 Austin retired and joined the board of directors of defense company Raytheon Technologies. Due to this proximity to the defense industry, his appointment as Defense Minister has now come under fire. It is also criticized that only four years have passed between his departure from the armed forces and his appointment as defense minister. In fact, a law stipulates a waiting period of seven years. Therefore, Austin will need special permission from Congress. Then he has to be confirmed in office by the Senate.
