US Defense Secretary Candidate Lloyd Austin: A Historic Choice?

“Lloyd Austin’s strengths and his deep knowledge of the Department of Defense and the entire government make him the perfect choice to address the challenges and crises facing America. He is exactly what America needs right now.”Candidate Joe Bidenconfirmed by the media as the President-elect of the United States, did not spare praise for retired Army General Lloyd Austin when he nominated this person for the position of Secretary of Defense. If accepted, Mr. Biden will make history by appointing for the first time an African-American to lead the Pentagon.

Similar views

When General Lloyd J. Austin retired four years ago, he reflected a lot on his long “war career” in Iraq. The most difficult and haunting moments in his memory were watching soldiers killed in action. And that, “every time you lose a soldier, it affects you deeply.”

The 67-year-old soldier thoughtfully recounted his war memories using the same language and nuances that Joe Biden often used when referring to his son, who died of cancer in 2015. During his campaign, Biden also used these feelings to comfort military families who lost loved ones in battle.

Retired Army General Lloyd J. Austin has been nominated as US Secretary of Defense. Photo: Getty

It is not known whether it is fate that General Austin and Beau - Joe Biden's son have known each other for many years. In 2008 - 2009, General Austin continuously deployed wars in Iraq - wars that Mr. Biden supported with the vote of a senator. General Austin was then assigned to command the army in Iraq, while Mr. Biden's son was a soldier on the payroll.

As Vice President, Mr. Biden personally spent a lot of time working with General Austin in the field and in the White House Situation Room under former President Barack Obama. While Mr. Biden was Vice President, Mr. Austin also worked in many different positions, most notably as Commander of the US Central Command from 2013 to 2016. At that time, Mr. Austin was the first officer of color assigned to command and supervise US military operations in the Middle East, including planning to defeat the Islamic State organization in Iraq and Syria.

If approved by the US Congress, Mr. Austin will become the first black leader of the Pentagon.

Based on the similarities and long-standing relationship, Mr. Joe Biden recently met with General Austin with the offer to be Secretary of Defense. If approved by Congress, Mr. Austin will become the first black leader of the Pentagon. In his statement, Mr. Biden did not hesitate to praise General Austin as a soldier and a true leader who has been proven in practice. And that Austin is a brave, decent person and an extremely patriotic citizen.

Most importantly, according to Mr. Biden, General Austin met the strict requirements ofa Pentagon leader- that is, understanding the price of “the cost of soldiers’ lives” in battle. Dana Pittard, a retired two-star Army general who served under Mr. Austin in Iraq, also commented that, “Mr. Joe Biden is a uniquely qualified individual. He always thinks deeply, and Austin’s decisions are always made after taking into account the contributions of many other people, not just his close advisors.”

General Lloyd J. Austin worked for many years under former President Barack Obama. Photo: AP

Controversy and Challenge

Lloyd J. Austin has been a name that has gone unnoticed until “Joe Biden’s time”.

General Lloyd J. Austin was born on August 8, 1953, has dual Iraqi and American citizenship, and graduated from the Military Academy at West Point. Despite his many years of experience, this retired general rarely appears in press conferences or public events like some other generals and officials. His name is not even mentioned in specialized newspapers and magazines. And Lloyd J. Austin has been a name that has not been noticed until "Joe Biden's time". Even before being nominated, General Austin was not a bright figure among other choices such as Michele Flournoy or Jeh Johnson - who had held senior roles at the Pentagon under the Barack Obama administration.

Another thing worth noting is that Mr. Austin's current position requires a waiver from theUS CongressThe catch is that federal law requires a former member of the military to have been out of active duty for at least seven years before serving as Secretary of Defense. General Austin has only been out of service for four years. Historically, while the use of waivers is rare, retired Marine General James Mattis received a congressional waiver in 2017 to serve as the first Secretary of Defense under the Trump administration.

Before that, in 1950, with the character of George Marshall. This is raising opposing views even within the Democratic Party. Democratic Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island said that this should not happen again. Many voices from legislators and experts said that if General Austin were exempted and accepted to take the position of Secretary of Defense, it would be a bad precedent for future civil-military relations.

Vice President Joe Biden met with General Lloyd J. Austin during a surprise visit to Iraq on November 29, 2011. Photo: AFP

Not to mention, many opinions are concerned that even if accepted, it will not be clear what General Austin's priorities are. Meanwhile, a series of difficulties and challenges await a new US Secretary of Defense. For example, some analysts believe that all US troops should leave the battlefield in Afghanistan, although Mr. Biden supports keeping a few thousand troops to put pressure on militant groups or the Islamic State organization.

To date, General Austin has not publicly expressed his views. Some other views believe that General Austin, having spent most of his military career focusing on the Middle East, will therefore not have deep experience when confronting America's top rivals in other regions such as Russia or China.

However, according to observers,nomination selectionGeneral Austin is actually a safe choice for Joe Biden. That means Biden will likely have a “peaceful” term with a general loyal to the proposed strategies. Importantly, this is a strong General but still flexible and empathetic. This is what Joe Biden has always cherished and is also liked by many voters. However, this characteristic is raising concerns about whether the US military and defense policy will have a “weaker” term in the next 4 years or not!