The Biden transition officially announced yesterday afternoon that retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, a former commander of U.S. Central Command, is Joe Biden’s choice to be his Secretary of Defense. Opposition to Austin as the nominee began building on Monday night (Dec. 7), however, when the news first leaked that Austin would be Biden’s choice. The opposition is focused on two tracks, civilian control of the military, and Austin’s ties to the military-industrial complex.
On the first track, Austin’s nomination would require a Congressional waiver as Austin has been out of the military for only four years, whereas the law requires seven. A number of prominent Democrats have already indicated they will vote against a waiver, citing the fact that they voted on a waiver only four years ago for Gen. James Mattis. Some Republicans in the Senate are also concerned about another vote on the waiver.
Concerns about Austin’s ties to the defense contractors have been amplified by a story yesterday in theNew York Times which highlights the fact of Austin sitting on the board of Raytheon, one of the largest defense contractors in the world. Austin is also a partner in a private equity firm called Pine Island Capital, which has been buying up small but highly specialized defense companies recently. Pine Island has a partnership with WestExec, the firm founded by Michèle Flournoy and Tony Blinken, Biden’s nominee to be Secretary of State. Pine Island sought the partnership with WestExec “because of their connections, the company made clear as it promoted itself in recent months in advance of selling $218 million in stock to prepare to buy other defense industry targets.” Austin’s business interests, as reported by the Times, have been circulated widely by progressive oriented news outlets.
