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BIDEN-MILITARY-AUSTIN
Biden taps ex-general as first Black Pentagon chief: media
WASHINGTON, Dec 8, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Lloyd Austin, who led US troops into Baghdad in 2003 and rose to head the US Central Command, has been chosen by President-elect Joe Biden to be the first African-American secretary of defense, US media reported Monday.
A veteran of conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the retired four-star army general, 67, beat out the favorite for the job, former under-secretary of defense Michele Flournoy, amid pressure on Biden to nominate more minorities for positions in his cabinet.
BSS/AFP/MMA/0800HRS