Yesterday, the US Senate accepted President Joe Biden's nominee, retired General Lloyd Austin, as Secretary of Defense. He is the first African-American to hold that position.
Lloyd was voted 93-2 in the XNUMX-member Senate, which is much more than the required simple majority.
Lawmakers from both parties said they were pleased that Austin would be installed at the Pentagon just two days after Biden was sworn in.
Senator Jack Reid, the incoming Democratic chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the country is facing a wide range of challenges - including the coronavirus pandemic and competition with China and Russia.
"General Austin is an exceptionally qualified leader with a long and distinguished career in the US military," Reid said before the vote.
"This is a time when we cannot be more vulnerable," said Republican Sen. James Inhofe, the outgoing chairman of the Armed Services Committee who also endorsed Austin.
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