Today, the U.S. Senate conducted voting, where retired Army General Lloyd was confirmed as President Joe Biden’s defence secretary, making him the first Black American to serve in the role.
The vote was 93-2 in the 100-member chamber, which makes it overwhelmingly in support of General Loyd.
Lawmakers from both parties said they were pleased that Austin would be installed to lead the Pentagon just two days after Biden was sworn in as president.
Senator Jack Reed, the incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, noted the wide range of challenges facing the country including the COVID-19 pandemic and competition with China and Russia.
Reed said before the vote, that, “General Austin is an exceptionally qualified leader with a long and distinguished career in the U.S. military.”
“We have China and Russia out there with capabilities that we didn’t really believe we would find ourselves with,” said Senator James Inhofe, the outgoing Republican chairman of the armed services panel, also urging support for Austin.
Thus, members of Congress allowed Austin to lead the Pentagon even though he had not cleared the required seven-year waiting period since leaving the uniformed services – a law intended to guarantee civilian control of the military.
As reported by Reuters, 67-year-old Austin, is a razor-sharp leader who avoided the spotlight during his distinguished four-decade career in uniform, including time heading Central Command, which oversees U.S. troops across the Middle East.
Republican Senators Mike Lee and Josh Hawley were the only ones to vote against Austin’s confirmation. Austin said he would work to get rid of “racists and extremists” from the military’s ranks.
Austin’s nomination also prompted questions about his former position on the board of defence contractor Raytheon Technologies Corp. Austin has pledged to fully divest from Raytheon within 90 days of his confirmation.