GEN(R) Lloyd J. Austin III ’75 was confirmed by the Senate to be the 28th defense secretary and the first Black man to hold the position.
“Secretary Austin is a trailblazer who has once again made history. His ability, integrity, and dynamic leadership earned him a place atop the Pentagon hierarchy. At every step of his career, he’s been a team builder and someone who focuses on the mission, leads by example, and gets the job done,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., said in a statement. Reed is the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Reed’s Republican counterpart on the committee, Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, said he looks forward to working with Austin to support the Defense Department.
“Today’s vote to confirm Austin as secretary of defense sends a strong signal to all Americans, to our allies and partners, and, most significantly, to our potential adversaries that Congress is committed to strengthening national security,” Inhofe said. “We’ve got real work to do to make sure our military is properly resourced, trained, and equipped after doing too much with too little for too long.” Read more.