Lloyd Austin Is Now Officially The Nation’s First Black Secretary Of Defense

On Friday, the U.S. Senate officially confirmed Lloyd Austin as the nation’s first Black Secretary of Defense. He was also the first Black general to command an Army division during the Iraq war, while also being the first to oversee the entire theater of operations.

The 4 star general’s confirmation wasn’t without its problems, there was talk of an issue with a law that bars recently retired military officials from serving as defense secretary, but he had enough Democratic leaders backing him to push him into he position. Biden’s administration also needed a security team in place after the Jan. 6th riots at the Capitol.

On Wednesday, the White House passed a waiver for the law and the Senate hearing confirmed him shortly afterwards.

Source:
USA Today