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 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Kathleen Hicks |
| Preceded by | Mark Esper |
| Succeeded by | Pete Hegseth (nominee) |
| Commander of United States Central Command | |
| In office March 22, 2013 – March 30, 2016 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jim Mattis |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Votel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lloyd James Austin III August 8, 1953 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Auburn University (MA) Webster University (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1975–2016 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | Global War on Terrorism |
| Awards | |
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]
In early January 2024, Austin was hospitalized in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after having surgery.[4] The surgery was kept private and was made public a few days later to much controversy.[5] On January 9, 2024, it was revealed that Austin had surgery to treat prostate cancer and had a urinary tract infection.[6]
References
change- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ O’brien, Connor. "Austin confirmed as first Black defense secretary". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-01-22.
- ↑ "White House's NSC didn't know of Austin's hospitalization for 3 days". Politico. January 6, 2024.
- ↑ "Pentagon keeps Austin's hospitalization under wraps for days". Reuters. January 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Lloyd Austin: Pentagon reveals US Defence Secretary had prostate cancer surgery". BBC. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
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