US Senate confirms Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense, Making 1st African American to serve Pentagon chief

Washington D. C (GNB): The U.S. Senate has confirmed Lloyd Austin as Secretary of Defense. Retired Army General Lloyd Austin is the first African American to serve as Secretary of Defense in U.S. history.

On Friday, the Senate approved President Biden’s nomination for Defense Secretary in a near-unanimous 93-2 vote. Austin gained broad support from Republicans and Democrats alike in the Senate.

“Nominated by President Biden and voted on by the Senate, Lloyd J. Austin III has become the 28th confirmed Defense Secretary and will lead the dedicated men and women of the U.S. armed forces”, Defense Department twitted.

Nominated by @POTUS and voted on by the Senate, Lloyd J. Austin III has become the 28th confirmed Defense Secretary and will lead the dedicated men and women of the U.S. armed forces. pic.twitter.com/OkVXyzA1Kv
— Department of Defense (@DeptofDefense) January 22, 2021

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as our country’s 28th Secretary of Defense, and I’m especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position. Let’s get to work”, Austin twitted.

I am enormously grateful for the service and the sacrifices of those who broke barriers before me—and although I may be the first African American Secretary of Defense, it’s my hope that I won’t be the last, Austin said after Senate’s approval.

Austin, 67, came from his hometown of Thomasville, Georgia, to graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1975.

Austin and Biden had worked closely together on the US troop withdrawal from Iraq in 2010-2011 and Biden’s late son, Beau Biden, had served on Austin’s staff in Baghdad. The two became close friends.