SecDef nominee pledges to evaluate information operations January 20 President Joe Biden's nominee for secretary of defense, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, at his confirmation hearing Jan. 19 before the Senate Armed Services Committee. (Greg Nash/Getty Images pool) WASHINGTON — Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin, President Joe Biden’s pick to run the Department of Defense, explained that he sees no new authorities needed to conduct operations in the information environment and pledged to review the department’s posture in the domain. If confirmed, Austin will regularly assess DoD’s authorities for the information environment, as well as the department’s resources and strategic alignment, he said in responses to a questionnaire for his Jan. 19 confirmation hearing.