On December 7, 2020, then-President-elect Joe Biden nominated Austin as secretary of defense. He was appointed on January 22, 2021, as the 28th US Secretary of Defense. Austin is the first African American Secretary of Defense. Biden became acquainted with Austin while Austin was CENTCOM commander in the Obama administration, and reportedly grew to trust him after receiving Austin’s briefings.
Austin received a congressional waiver of the National Security Act of 1947 to bypass the seven-year waiting period after leaving the active-duty military. His nomination, and the attendant requirement for a waiver, met with concern in Congress regarding its implications for civil-military relations. Robert Gates, former Secretary of Defense, and Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, among others, issued statements supporting Austin’s nomination.
Other officials in President Joe Biden’s administration include:
Cedric Richmond – Senior Advisor and Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison.
Michelle Lujan Grisham – Leader of Health and Human Services department
Tony Blinken – National Security Advisor
Mike Donilon – Senior Advisor
Janet Yellen – Secretary of Treasury
Andy Levin – Secretary of Labor
Lael Brainard – Secretary of the Treasury
Susan Rice – Secretary of State
