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    Lloyd Austin: A Man 'Of The Highest Integrity,' But Still Unknown To Many

    If confirmed as defense secretary, retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin would be the first African-American to run the world's largest employer, with some 2.2 million servicemembers.
    by Tom Bowman Dec 08, 2020 4 minutes
    In this 2010 photo, Army Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin appears at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his reappointment to be commander of the U.S. forces in Iraq. President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate Austin as the first African-American to be defense secretary.

    Updated at 10:15 p.m. ET

    By choosing Lloyd Austin to be his defense secretary, President-elect Joe Biden is making history.

    Austin, a retired four-star Army general and West Point graduate, would be the first African-American to lead the Pentagon, the world's largest employer with more than 2.2 million servicemembers and a civilian work force that numbers more than 700,000.

    "He is a man of the highest integrity," said retired Army Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, who served with Austin when they were young officers in the 10th Mountain Division. "Steady in the saddle. Great command climate. General Austin is a great pick to lead our military in a dangerous world."

    Sources tell NPR that Biden came to know Austin during briefings in

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