For the first time, an African American could lead the Pentagon. President-elect Joe Biden chose the former four-star general Lloyd Austin on Tuesday (December 8th) as secretary of defense. At 67, the latter has behind him an exemplary career that marries the last quarter of a century of American interventions.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, graduated from West Point Military Academy, Lloyd Austin served in the infantry in Germany before joining the prestigious 82e airborne division stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He climbed the ranks and accumulated commands in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of the “war on terror” unleashed after the attacks of September 11.
In 2010, he became responsible for the American forces in Iraq, whose departure he orchestrated in December 2011 in accordance with the decision of Democratic President Barack Obama. Lloyd Austin then joined the staff headed by Admiral Mike Mullen and of which he became deputy. He is in particular responsible for monitoring the phenomenon of post-traumatic stress that affects many soldiers. In 2012, he was appointed by Barack Obama to head Centcom, which oversees military operations in the Middle East and Central Asia. He replaces James Mattis, a navy who will become Donald Trump’s first defense secretary.
It is in this function that Lloyd Austin coordinates the American response to the offensive of the Islamic State organization in Iraq and then in Syria. It earned him difficult moments in Congress when he was asked about the number of militiamen trained and funded by the United States to the tune of $ 500 million to fight the jihadists. “Four, maybe five”, he replies to the amazement of elected officials. But this function also puts him regularly in contact with the vice-president, Joe Biden, who appreciates his briefings according to the American press.
“His calm and his character”
“I spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the Situation Room of the White House. I asked for his opinion, observed his sense of command and admired his calm and character ”, told the elected president in a long column published Tuesday by the site of the magazine The Atlantic to explain his choice. He insisted on his management of the Iraqi withdrawal, at a time when the fatigue of interventions and “endless wars” is very present in the United States.
You have 44.84% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.