President-elect Biden will nominate retired four-star Army General Lloyd J. Austin as Secretary of Defense, four people with knowledge of the matter said, according to a Dec. 8 Associated Press report. The nomination, if confirmed by the Senate, would make Austin the Pentagon’s first African-American top leader.
According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Austin accepted the nomination last Sunday. A spokesman for Austin and a spokesman for the Biden transition team declined to comment at this time.
Flournoy, the former Pentagon policy director, was initially considered for the position, but her name did not appear on the list of national security teams announced two weeks ago. In addition to Flournoy, Biden also considered former Homeland Defense Secretary Johnson.
A former defense official said, “The Biden team thought Austin was a safe choice, that he and Biden would have fewer differences and a smoother relationship than the other two candidates. The retired general would be a good soldier who takes the president’s agenda seriously.”
Austin graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1975 with 41 years of service.
Austin served in the Iraq War, where he served as assistant division commander in March 2003, and as commander of the multinational coalition forces in Iraq in 2008 and oversaw the withdrawal of troops in 2011.
In 2012, Austin served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, and a year later he developed and implemented a U.S. military strategy at U.S. Central Command to defeat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.
When Austin was discharged in 2016, Obama praised his “character,” as well as his judgment and leadership on the battlefield.
Congressman Thompson, who is close to Biden, said Monday, “General Austin has impeccable credentials in his military career and will be an outstanding leader for the Department of Defense.”
A person familiar with Biden’s decision said that Biden chose Austin because he had been through crises and trials and was well respected in the military. Biden also trusts Austin, and they worked together during Biden’s tenure as vice president.
Civil rights activist Sharpton said Monday, “A lot of civil rights groups would have supported Biden’s choice, and this is the first time we’ve seen a person of color in that position. It means a lot to the world, especially after civil rights groups have built a rivalry with the Trump administration.”
However, Austin’s nomination as a career military officer was also resisted by some national security experts. They generally agree that the line between civilian and military leadership at the Pentagon should be drawn.
Brooks, a Georgetown University professor and former Pentagon official, tweeted, “From a civil-military relations standpoint, no matter how great the recently retired four-star Army general is, this decision seems a bit of a bad one.” In an op-ed in the New York Times, she called on Biden to choose Flournoy as secretary of defense.
Shulman, who served in senior staff positions at the Pentagon and the National Security Council for 10 years, said she understands why Biden would look for a candidate with deep knowledge of the military, but she worries that appointing a general to a political role could deepen the negative impact of Trump’s politicization of the military. She said, “A retired general is not a replacement for a civilian officer.”
Austin is known for his exceptional leadership, integrity and keen intellect. He will not be a typical Secretary of Defense, but in addition to his 41-year career in the military, he is a quiet general who has given few interviews in the past, is reluctant to speak publicly about military operations, and has intentionally avoided the public eye.
Like many retired generals, Austin has served on corporate boards. He is a member of the board of directors of Raytheon, the Pentagon’s largest contractor.
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