Austin is a retired Army general and is the former commander of the US Central Command.
He has worked closely with Biden in the past. While Biden was vice president, Austin served as the vice chief of staff of the Army and commanding general of US forces in Iraq, and later the commander of CENTCOM. Biden and Austin had discussions on a range of issues, including those in the Middle East and Central and South Asia.
Austin would need a congressional waiver to be confirmed for the civilian post because federal law requires seven years of retirement from active duty before taking on the role. Austin retired from active-duty service only four years ago.
Biden introduces key members of climate team
keyt.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from keyt.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Biden gets vaccine Monday, rethinks West Wing setup
dailyitem.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyitem.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Biden to get coronavirus vaccination Monday, assess White House staffing in pandemic Annie Linskey © Joshua Lott/The Washington Post President-elect Joe Biden. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post) President-elect Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, plan to begin their course of coronavirus vaccinations Monday, after the recent infection of two people in his orbit, including a senior adviser, brought the pandemic closer than before to the former vice president and senior members of his team. The Biden team also is rethinking how to organize the president-elect’s West Wing staff, which will take office amid what is expected to be a bleak and dangerous winter because of the pandemic. The new administration does not plan to have its full staff work out of the typically cramped White House offices immediately after taking office Jan. 20 because of medical concerns, officials said Friday.