Biden chooses Lloyd Austin as defense secretary, despite objections

Yesterday, US President-elect Joe Biden confirmed his choice of retired General Lloyd Austin to take over the Ministry of Defense.

Biden wrote that Austin (67 years old) “is uniquely qualified to meet the challenges and crises we face right now.”

“Throughout his dedicated service, and in the many hours we spent together in the White House operating room and with our forces abroad, General Austin demonstrated exemplary leadership and character.”

Biden noted that Austin is “a wonderful, respected, and pioneering figure in the history of the United States Army,” noting that “he retired from the Army in 2016 after more than 40 years of service in the defense of the United States.”

This retired general participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, before becoming the first black man to assume the central command of the US military, “Centcom.”

I know General Austin. I trust in him. Because I know how you react to pressure.

When ISIS emerged as a terrorist threat, President Obama and I addressed General Austin in the Situation Room and he guided us.

Now, I turn to him again as Secretary of Defense. pic.twitter.com/p65aVc4Nt5

– Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 8, 2020

Biden, who will take office Jan. 20, was working, especially with Austin under former President Barack Obama, when he oversaw the implementation of the decision to withdraw 50,000 US troops from Iraq in 2011.

However, his assumption of this position is not certain, since parliamentarians and experts in national security have expressed their opposition to this appointment, indicating that his retirement period is still less than 7 years.

And Congress adopted a rule that any former military candidate to take over the Department of Defense must be retired for at least 7 years.

Since Lloyd is retired for less than a time, lawmakers will have to grant him a waiver. And that’s what they did in 2016 to hire Jim Mattis, but they protested at the time.

In this context, Senator Elizabeth Warran announced her opposition to Biden’s nomination of General Austin for the post of Secretary of Defense, and will vote against him when the application is submitted to the Senate.

The US House of Representatives is reported to have passed the defense budget bill by an overwhelming majority, defying threats from outgoing President Donald Trump to use a “veto.”

The $ 740.5 billion defense budget bill has been the focus of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats for months. The new budget foresees a 3% increase in the salaries of defense personnel.