Then-US Vice President Joe Biden (L) meets with General Lloyd Austin, the commander of United States Forces – Iraq (USF-I), and US ambassador in Iraq James Jeffrey (unseen) at the US embassy upon the former’s arrival at Baghdad on a surprise visit on November 29, 2011. AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Imagescnn
(CNN)President-elect Joe Biden has selected retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, the former commander of US Central Command, to be his secretary of defense, a source familiar with the decision told CNN on Monday.
If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black man to lead the Department of Defense.
Biden reached out to Austin over the weekend to offer the job, according to the source, and he accepted. Austin emerged as the leading candidate last week, the source said. Politico was first to report on Biden’s selection of Austin.
The selection to one of the most prominent Cabinet positions would make Austin one of the most prominent members of Biden’s incoming administration. The secretary of defense is in control of the nation’s largest government agency, commanding troops around the world and the complicated internal workings of the Pentagon that make it one of the world’s most formidable bureaucracies.
Austin has a long history of working within the Pentagon, and has worked with Biden closely in the past.
When he was vice president, Biden worked with Austin in a variety of positions, most prominently when he was commander of CENTCOM from 2013 to 2016, during which they had discussions on a range of issues including the Middle East and Central and South Asia. Before that, but still during Biden’s time as vice president, Austin was vice chief of staff of the Army and commanding general of US forces in Iraq.
“They’ve known each other for a long time,” the source said. “There’s a comfort level.” The source said that “the historic nature of the pick is something Biden is excited about. Especially given the history of the US military being barrier breakers in a lot of areas.”
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