President-elect Joe Biden will nominate retired General Lloyd Austin, who oversaw US forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, to be his defense secretary, Biden's transition team said in a statement on Tuesday.
"With a distinguished record of military service spanning four decades, Secretary-designate Austin is a deeply experienced and highly decorated commander who has served with distinction in several of the Pentagon’s most crucial positions," the statement said.
Austin would be the first Black US secretary of defense.