Posted on 03/07/2021 7:14:32 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's extensive military career has not only prepared him for the roles diplomacy and deterrence play in American foreign policy, but for how to tackle head-on the issues of race and extremism in the military he said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday.
Overwhelmingly confirmed by the Senate as President Joe Biden's defense secretary, Austin overcame initial concerns raised by members of Congress about the nomination of another recently retired military leader in the job.
But Austin said his 41 years in uniform have helped him not only appreciate "the complexities of combat," but the importance of diplomacy as well.
The historical significance of being the first African American to serve as defense secretary is not lost on Austin, who said he still recalls seeing segregated bathrooms at a bus station while growing up in the Deep South.
"That's kind of how I started as a child and to rise -- to be able to rise -- to a position of secretary of defense in my lifetime is quite incredible," said Austin. "But you have to ask yourself, you know, why it took so long to get to have an African American secretary of defense."
Austin said he will seek to create opportunities for African Americans and Latinos serving in the military so they can rise to the highest ranks and ensure "that I am not the last African American secretary of defense."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
The Chi-coms must be laughing themselves silly.
Surely there was no affirmative action involved in his rise to his current position. Right? Hey, at least buyDUNG gets to check another box on the ‘sjw’ score card.
Want to bet he destroys the Military and turns it into an African Rabble
“who said he still recalls seeing segregated bathrooms at a bus station while growing up in the Deep South.”
What’s the plan when they can’t use that line anymore? It is also bizarre when the gubmint workforce is re-segregating via reverse discrimination (including this token himself).
They tried so hard to not be the Nazi, the Jew they became, this they did not see.
This country is soooooo racist against blacks that a black man has become POTUS twice, a black woman is VPOTUS, a black man was SoS, two black men served and serve on the US Supreme Court, a black man was head of Homeland Security, etc, etc.
MSM, the country is laughing at you.
Colin Powell has no comment
Uh, how old is he? I remember visiting my ex’s aunt at the doctor’s office she worked at in Meridian MS in the late 70’s. There were still doors with ‘colored only’ signs on them but they weren’t in use any longer. Patients were mixed together. Or in today’s parlance ‘blended’ I guess. Although I do recall the klan collecting donations in the town I lived in in south MS around the same time. Similar manner as the fireman’s boot thing and I do know where they held some rallies in the same time frame. Talk about making the hair stand up on the back of your neck. Yes, it did exist and probably to a lesser extent still does. And it ain’t right.
Does he bring experience in dealing with America’s enemies?
If this is what he brings to the table in his “41 years in uniform” I utterly reject him and his “service”.
When discussions come up about racial disharmony in the ranks over the years, I will bet money this scumbag was close at hand.
Biden’s has appointed at least four retired generals or admirals and a former top enlisted Marine..and now Austin......Looking like Bidens putting together a war team.
Retired Austin, who left the Army in 2016, required a waiver from Congress due to the law that prohibits retired officers from serving as secretary of defense for at least 7 years after they leave the service.....The law was put in place to make sure there was a separation between the civil and military authority.
As Charles Allen, a retired Army colonel and scholar on civil-military relations at the Army War College stated clearly....... “You want to have the military to have autonomy, but also to be subordinate to civilian authority as prescribed in the U.S. Constitution and by law, and not supplant it.”
Does he bring experience in dealing with America’s enemies?
_____________________
His first priority is to tackle the ever tricky problem on how a dude can successfully run across the desert, with 100 lbs of gear, in high heels.
I’m not questioning the truth that he recalls it; I want to know what is the plan when they can’t use that line anymore (because all those people have passed away) to pick the racial scabs and stir up hatred with it.
His main job?
The architects of the 1947 National Security Act, the law that formed the Department of Defense, created the secretary of defense position because they wanted to ensure ‘strict civilian control’ over the military after the dizzying experience fighting the Axis powers during World War II.
..... In particular, one now long-forgotten crisis illuminated why the armed forces needed strong civilian leaders and inspired Congress to insist upon a gap between military service and assuming the secretary of defense position absent a congressionally granted waiver.
The architects of the 1947 National Security Act, the law that formed the Department of Defense, created the secretary of defense position because they wanted to ensure ‘strict civilian control’ over the military after the dizzying experience fighting the Axis powers during World War II.
..... In particular, one now long-forgotten crisis illuminated why the armed forces needed strong civilian leaders and inspired Congress to insist upon a gap between military service and assuming the secretary of defense position absent a congressionally granted waiver.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.