Biden Pentagon Choice Austin Vows to Uphold Civilian Control
- Retired general would need a waiver from Congress to take post
- Austin would make history as the first Black defense secretary
Lloyd Austin, U.S. secretary of defense nominee for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, speaks during a confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 19.
Photographer: Greg Nash/The Hill/Bloomberg
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Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s choice for defense secretary, went before a Senate committee Tuesday whose members have praised his past service as an Army general -- and have questioned whether that service would undermine civilian control of the military.
“I know that being a member of the president’s cabinet -- a political appointee -- requires a different perspective and unique duties from a career in uniform,” Austin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “So, if confirmed, you can expect me to empower my civilian staff.”