Biden's Pentagon Choice Lloyd Austin Says Pandemic Is Most Urgent Threat

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.”

Austin, 67, would make history as the first Black defense secretary at a time when questions are being raised about diversity and tolerance in the ranks. Although 40% of the U.S. force is now people of color, there’s evidence some service members and veterans have been active in white nationalist extremist groups, including in this month’s riot at the Capitol.

In addition to Senate confirmation, Austin, who retired from the Army in 2016, would need both chambers of Congress to pass a waiver from a law that bars former military officers from serving as defense secretary within seven years of stepping down in the name of ensuring civilian control. A waiver was most recently granted to President Donald Trump’s first defense secretary, retired General James Mattis.

The House has scheduled a floor vote on the waiver for Thursday. A group that represents a majority of House Republicans has opposed granting another exception, as have a number of senators of both parties. Some Senate Democrats have said they would opposed the waiver on principle -- but may then vote to confirm Austin if it’s approved anyway.

James Inhofe of Oklahoma, the Senate committee’s Republican chairman, said “we are doing the right thing here,” suggesting he will back Austin’s confirmation and waiver.

But Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas said that “Congress should no longer grant those waivers -- at all.” He said they’re becoming routine and tend to politicize the military.

Austin also has faced questions about his past leadership of U.S. forces in the Middle East. As head of U.S. Central Command during the Obama administration, Austin faced criticism over the department’s failure to train more than a handful of Syrian fighters despite a $500 million program designed to help combat the Assad regime.

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