Lloyd Austin

Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is an American retired four-star general. He is the 28th and current United States Secretary of Defense since 2021. He was an Army officer and was the 12th commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM). Austin was the first Black commander of CENTCOM.[1]

Lloyd Austin
28th United States Secretary of Defense
Assumed office
January 22, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
DeputyKathleen Hicks
Preceded byMark Esper
Commander of United States Central Command
In office
March 22, 2013 – March 30, 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byJim Mattis
Succeeded byJoseph Votel
Personal details
Born
Lloyd James Austin III

(1953-08-08) August 8, 1953
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
Auburn University (MA)
Webster University (MBA)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1975–2016
RankGeneral
Commands
  • United States Central Command
  • Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army
  • United States Forces – Iraq
  • Multi-National Corps – Iraq
  • XVIII Airborne Corps
  • 10th Mountain Division
  • 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division
  • 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
Battles/warsGlobal War on Terrorism
Awards
  • Defense Distinguished Service Medal (5)
  • Army Distinguished Service Medal (4)
  • Silver Star
  • Defense Superior Service Medal (2)
  • Legion of Merit (2)

On December 7, 2020, Austin was nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to be Secretary of Defense.[2] His nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 22, 2021 which made him the first Black Secretary of Defense in American history.[3]

References
  1. MacAskill, Ewen (March 22, 2013). "General Lloyd Austin picked for top job at US Central Command". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. Cooper, Helene; Martin, Jonathan (2020-12-08). "Biden Plans to Tap Lloyd Austin, Former Iraq Commander, as Defense Secretary". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-08.
  3. O’brien, Connor. "Austin confirmed as first Black defense secretary". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
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