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WILMINGTON: President-elect Joe Biden selected retired General Lloyd Austin, who oversaw US forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, to be his secretary of defense, Politico reported yesterday, citing three people with knowledge of the decision.
In choosing Austin, who would be America’s first black defense secretary, Biden bypassed Michelle Flournoy, who would have been the first female defense secretary and considered the leading candidate for the position.
Austin, who headed the United States Central Command under Obama, will need a waiver from Congress since it has been less than seven years since he took office.
His nomination could draw criticism from some progressive groups given his role on the board of several companies, including arms maker Raytheon Technologies Corp.
Biden, who will take office on January 20, also announced members of his health team to lead the administration’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden chose California attorney general Xavier Becerra as secretary for health and human services and selected Dr. Rochelle Walensky, chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to head the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. of Diseases of the United States
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was named Biden’s chief medical advisor on the virus.
Biden’s first big challenge in the White House will be containing a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus that has killed more than 282,000 Americans and finding ways to revive an economy still reeling from millions of pandemic-driven job losses.
He installed Jeff Zients, an economic adviser known for his managerial skills, as the Covid-19 “czar” to oversee a response that will include an unprecedented operation to distribute hundreds of millions of doses of a new vaccine, coordinating efforts across multiple federal agencies. .
“This team of world-class medical experts and public servants will be ready on day one to mobilize all resources from the federal government to expand testing and masking,” Biden said in a statement, adding that they would “oversee the safe, equitable and distribution free treatments and vaccines ”.
