Retired Gen. Lloyd Austin would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon, breaking one of the more enduring barriers in the U.S. government.
WASHINGTON – The Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin as the next Pentagon chief Friday, making him the nation’s first Black Defense secretary. The Senate voted 93 to 2 to confirm Austin. Austin’s confirmation follows Wednesday’s Senate confirmation of Avril Haines, who became the first woman to the lead nation’s 18 intelligence agencies as the director of national intelligence.
