Lloyd Austin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lloyd Austin
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Official portrait, 2023
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| 28th United States Secretary of Defense | |
| Assumed office January 22, 2021 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Mark Esper |
| 12th Commander of United States Central Command | |
| In office March 22, 2013 – March 30, 2016 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Jim Mattis |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Votel |
| 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army | |
| In office February 8, 2012 – March 8, 2013 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Peter W. Chiarelli |
| Succeeded by | John F. Campbell |
| 40th Director of the Joint Staff | |
| In office August 9, 2009 – June 30, 2010 |
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| President | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Stanley A. McChrystal |
| Succeeded by | William E. Gortney |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Lloyd James Austin III
August 8, 1953 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Charlene Banner
(m. 1980) |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Manufacturing executive, military general, politician |
| Profession | Army officer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1975–2016 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands |
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| Battles/wars |
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| Awards | Full list |
Lloyd James Austin III (born August 8, 1953) is a retired United States Army four-star general who has served as the 28th and current United States secretary of defense since January 22, 2021.
Austin holds the unique distinction of having commanded in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan at the one-, two-, three- and four-star levels, and was the first African American to command a division, corps, and field army in combat. He is a recipient of the Silver Star, the nation's third highest award for valor, for his actions during the Iraq invasion, as well as five Defense Distinguished Service Medals.
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Early life and education
Austin was born on August 8, 1953, in Mobile, Alabama; he was raised in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1975, where he was commander of G-1 (G Company, 1st Regiment). He later earned a Master of Arts degree in counselor education from Auburn University's College of Education in 1986, and a Master of Business Administration in business management from Webster University in 1989. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.
Military career
Austin was commissioned as a second lieutenant after his graduation from West Point. His initial assignment was to the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized) in Germany.
Following this assignment and attendance at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry and served as the Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division.
In 1981, Austin was assigned to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he was the operations officer for the Army Indianapolis District Recruiting Command, and where he later commanded a company in the Army Recruiting Battalion. Upon conclusion of this assignment, he attended Auburn University, where he completed studies for a master's degree in education. He was then assigned to the Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he served as a company tactical officer for E-1.
After his selection and subsequent completion of the Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, he was assigned to the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, New York, where he served as the S-3 (Operations) and later executive officer for the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry. He subsequently served as Executive Officer for 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), and later as Director of Plans, Training, Mobilization, and Security for Fort Drum, New York.
In 1993, Austin returned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina where he commanded the 2d Battalion (Airborne), 505th Infantry. He later served as the G-3 for the 82nd Airborne Division. Following graduation from the Army War College, he commanded the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Shortly after brigade command, he served as Chief, Joint Operations Division, J-3, on the Joint Staff at The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. His next assignment was as Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver (ADC-M), 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia. As the ADC-M, he helped lead the division's invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Austin was awarded a Silver Star for his actions as commander during the invasion.
Austin served from September 2003 until August 2005 as the commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), as Commander, Combined Joint Task Force 180, during the War in Afghanistan. His next position was chief of staff of the United States Central Command at MacDill AFB, in Tampa, Florida, from September 2005 until October 2006.
On December 8, 2006, Austin was promoted to lieutenant general, and assumed command of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In February 2008, Austin became the second highest ranking commander in Iraq, taking command of the Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I). As commander of MNC-I, he directed the operations of approximately 152,000 joint and coalition forces in all sectors of Iraq.
Austin handed over command of XVIII Corps to become Director of the Joint Staff in August 2009. This promotion came at the direction of Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time. While Director, Austin was told by Mullen to increase the diversity of the Joint Staff. Austin credited the appointment as having jumpstarted his later career, saying: "People who might not have known Lloyd Austin began to know him."
Commanding General of US Forces – Iraq
On September 1, 2010, Austin became Commanding General (CG) of United States Forces – Iraq (USF-I) at a ceremony at Al-Faw Palace in Baghdad. He assumed the role from General Ray Odierno. As CG, USF-I, Austin was the senior military commander in charge of all US and remaining coalition forces in Iraq. Their mission was to advise, train, assist, and equip the Iraqi Armed Forces and the security agencies part of the Ministry of the Interior. As commander, Austin requested an additional troop presence in Iraq from 14,000 to 18,000.
Austin oversaw the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom and combat operations to Operation New Dawn and stability operations focused on advising, assisting, and training the ISF. He was extensively involved in the internal U.S. discussions and then negotiations with the Iraqi Government leading up to the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement. Opposing total U.S. withdrawal, Austin preferred that the U.S. maintain about 10,000 troops in Iraq after 2011 and he approved staff planning for up to 20,000 remaining troops. He directed the drawdown of forces and the redeployment of approximately 50,000 service members. The U.S. command in Iraq formally cased its colors on December 15, 2011, at a reduced-sized BIAP complex, and Austin's speech there cited his division's seizure of the airport over eight years beforehand. Austin, along with other members of the USF-I staff, departed Iraq on December 18, 2011.
Army Vice Chief of Staff
In December 2011, Austin was nominated to become Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army (VCSA). He took office on January 31, 2012. As VCSA, he managed the day-to-day administration of the Army's budget and headquarters staff. ..... He also supervised a review of the psychiatric treatment of personnel assessed for disability by the Army.
United States Central Command
Austin became the commander of CENTCOM on March 22, 2013, after being nominated by President Obama in late 2012. Austin was preceded as CENTCOM Commander by General James Mattis, whom Austin would later succeed as Secretary of Defense. In this capacity, General Austin oversaw all United States troops deployed and major United States Military operations around the area of Middle-East and Central Asia and some parts of South Asia. The area of command consisted of 20 countries including Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Egypt and Lebanon.
His approach as CENTCOM commander has been described as that of an "invisible general", due to his reluctance to speak publicly about military matters.
As commander, after ISIL seized control of Mosul in June 2014, Austin oversaw the development and execution of the military campaign plan to counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria. He had earlier described ISIL as a "flash in the pan". Obama would later tell The New Yorker that ISIL was a "jayvee" team. As of October 2014, Austin argued that the U.S. military's primary focus in operations against ISIL should be Iraq, as opposed to Syria. In 2015, Austin conceded in a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing that a CENTCOM-developed U.S. program intended to train Syrians to combat ISIL had not been successful. At the hearing, he faced particularly pointed questioning from Senator John McCain over the direction of military engagement in Syria.
Austin's retirement ceremony took place at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall on April 5, 2016. During his departure and retirement ceremony, General Austin said that he was extremely proud of the achievements of the coalition's forces which always goes back to the troops. General Austin said "I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to lead troops in combat, I have seen our young leaders do amazing things in really tough and dangerous situations."
Private sector
Immediately after retiring as CENTCOM Commander, Austin joined the board of Raytheon Technologies, a military contractor, in April 2016. As of October 2020[update], his Raytheon stock holdings were worth roughly $500,000 and his compensation, including stock, totaled $2.7 million. On September 18, 2017, he was appointed to Nucor's board of directors. On May 29, 2018, Austin was appointed as an independent director on the board of Tenet Healthcare. He also operates a consulting firm and has been a partner at Pine Island Capital, an investment company with which Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Michèle Flournoy are affiliated.
Secretary of Defense (2021–present)
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Upon assuming the office, Austin announced his top three priorities for the Defense Department in a memorandum issued to all DoD employees. It stated in part, "As the Secretary of Defense, I am committed to ensuring that the Department develops the right people, priorities, and purpose of mission to continue to defend our Nation from enemies foreign and domestic. This will require aligning our priorities and capabilities to a changing and dynamic threat landscape. We will do so in a way that is based on a sober assessment of our strategic needs and recognize the importance of building and sustaining a strong workforce and unity within our Department, across the Nation and with our allies and partners around the world. Three priorities - defending the Nation, taking care of our people, and succeeding through teamwork - will guide our efforts."
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Several days after assuming office as Secretary of Defense, Austin visited the National Guard deployed to Washington D.C. Austin praised the Guard for protecting the Capitol in the days after the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol. During a press conference, he confirmed that the National Guard was expected to leave the U.S. Capitol within weeks and that there would be no further requests from federal authorities or lawmakers to keep the National Guard's troops in the Capitol complex following their March departure. Austin would subsequently order the troops stay through May.
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Part of Austin's primary agenda as Secretary of Defense was the Department of Defense's plan—in coordination with Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor to the president—to confront the COVID-19 pandemic within the department. Austin's first step was to urge service members to get vaccinated, especially after the revelation that almost one-third of active-duty service members had turned down the opportunity to get administered the vaccine. In order to tout the safety of the coronavirus vaccine, Austin took the vaccine himself and also emphasized that taking the coronavirus vaccine will prevent disease among the troops, particularly those who were deployed overseas.
Personal life
Austin was raised by a devoutly Catholic mother and remains practicing himself.
Austin and his wife, Charlene Denise Banner Austin, have been married for over forty years. Charlene worked as a non-profit administrator and served on the board of the Military Family Research Institute at Purdue University. Austin has two stepsons.
Awards and decorations
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- 2007 inductee into the Thomasville County Sports Hall of Fame.
Gallery
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Austin during the Iraq War on September 11, 2007
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with U.S. President Joe Biden at The Pentagon on February 10, 2021.
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Austin meets with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in Doha, Qatar, December 19, 2023
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Austin with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi at the Presidential Palace in Cairo, March 8, 2023
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Austin with Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler at NATO headquarters in Brussels, June 16, 2023
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin hosts Saudi prince Khalid bin Salman at the Pentagon, July 6, 2021
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Austin with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant in Tel Aviv, Israel, October 13, 2023
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Austin with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on December 18, 2023
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Austin and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., March 26, 2024
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U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin with Commander of U.S. Forces Japan Lt. Gen. Kevin Schneider at Yokota Air Force Base in Japan, March 15, 2021.
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Austin meets with Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Hanoi, Vietnam, July 29, 2021
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Austin with Philippine President Bongbong Marcos at the Pentagon, May 3, 2023
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Austin with Chinese State councilor and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe, November 22, 2022
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Austin meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on June 25, 2021
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Austin with NATO's Resolute Support Mission commander Austin S. Miller in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2021
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Austin with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov in Kyiv, November 20, 2023
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Austin with Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in Washington, D.C., December 11, 2023
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Austin at the United States–Africa Leaders Summit 2022
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Austin in South Korea, 2023
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See also
In Spanish: Lloyd Austin para niños
