Watertown Daily Times
Gen. Lloyd Austin III in 2013
(Provided photo â U.S. Central Command) FORT DRUM As retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III was confirmed as the Secretary of Defense on Friday, many North Country observers fondly remembered his time as Fort Drum’s commander and the legacy he left behind. Austin’s distinguished career included leading the post and the 10th Mountain Division from 2003 to 2005, and he’s now the first Black person in charge of the Pentagon. On Friday, the Senate confirmed him by a 93-2 vote. But he had to get a waiver from Congress to serve as the defense secretary because his retirement in 2016 did not fulfill the requirement that he had to be out of uniform for seven years.
FORT DRUM — As retired Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III was confirmed as the Secretary of Defense on Friday, many north country observers fondly remembered his time as Fort Drum’s
Lloyd Austin, former Fort Drum commander, nears Secretary of Defense job despite hurdles
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WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 19: U.S. Army (retired) General Lloyd Austin testifies before the Senate Armed Services Committee during his conformation hearing to be the next Secretary of Defense on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC. Austin is the first African-American to have headed U.S. Central Command. (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)Pool/GettyShow MoreShow Less
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Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., appears virtually during a confirmation hearing for Secretary of Defense nominee Lloyd Austin, a recently retired Army general, before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, in Washington. (Greg Nash/Pool via AP)Greg Nash/APShow MoreShow Less