Tag: Lloyd Austin

GOP’s Tom Cotton repeatedly cuts off America’s first Black defense secretary as he fumes over diversity training

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During a hearing this Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) rattled off a list of examples of what he says is law enforcement and the military introducing “woke” ideology into their training systems that “rewrites America’s history” and paints America as a systemically racist country.

He then turned to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin — who happens to be America’s first Black Defense Secretary — and asked him, “Do you believe that our military is a fundamentally racist organization? Yes or no, please.” 

“Well, I won’t give you a yes or no answer on that, sir, because it deserves more than a yes or no,” Austin replied. “The military, like any organization, will have its challenges. I do not believe it is a fundamentally racist organization.” Continue reading.

Seeking to combat extremists in ranks, the military struggles to answer a basic question: How many are there?

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces an early test as he races to advance a major initiative targeting far-right extremism in the ranks, a challenge that officials acknowledge is complicated by the Pentagon’s lack of clarity on the extent of the threat following the U.S. Capitol riot.

Austin’s highly unusual order for a military-wide “stand-down,” slated to pause normal operations in coming weeks so troops can discuss internal support for extremist movements, underscores the urgency of the task ahead for the retired four-star general, who last month became the nation’s first African American Pentagon chief.

The Jan. 6 events at the Capitol, in which Trump supporters stormed Congress in an attempt to prevent President Biden from taking office, laid bare the appeal of white-supremacist and anti-government groups among some veterans and, in smaller numbers, currently serving troops. Among the 190 people charged in the siege, at least 30 are veterans. Three are reservists or National Guard members. Continue reading.

With clean sweep, Biden’s Pentagon chief clears out Trump picks

New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has made a clean sweep of the Pentagon’s Trumpified advisory boards.

The final weeks of Donald Trump’s term were quite busy, and not just because the Republican spent an inordinate amount of time plotting against his own country’s democracy. He also made more than a few personnel moves at the Pentagon.

Indeed, in his first big decision after Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 presidential election, the outgoing president fired then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper. As regular readers may recall, in the weeks that followed, Trump proceeded to oust a series of Pentagon officials while appointing unqualified loyalists to series of Defense boards and panels.

It was widely assumed that President Joe Biden’s team would show the Trump acolytes the door. Yesterday, new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin did exactly that, making a clean sweep of the Pentagon’s Trumpified advisory boards. Continue reading.

Senate confirms Austin to lead Pentagon under Biden

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The Senate has approved President Biden’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, paving the way for retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to make history as the nation’s first Black secretary of Defense.

The Senate confirmed Austin in a 93-2 Friday morning vote, giving Biden his second Cabinet member two days after his inauguration.

Presidents typically have key national security nominees confirmed on Inauguration Day, but a combination of factors — including the Trump administration delaying the transition, control of the Senate being up in the air until the Georgia runoffs in early January and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — meant Biden only got one confirmed on his first day: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines. Continue reading.