The Senate confirmed Lloyd Austin Ⅲ as the 28th Secretary of Defense on Jan. 22, 2021, after which he arrived at the Pentagon and was "administratively sworn in" to begin his duties. A 1975 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Austin retired from the U.S. Army as Commander of U.S. Central Command in 2016. Both the Senate and House of Representatives waived the requirement that a defense secretary must have been retired seven years before assuming the position. Austin assured congressional leaders that he fully believes in civilian control of the U.S. military during his confirmation hearing. Among his first acts overseeing the Department of Defense (DOD), Austin contacted allies and partners to assure them of Americas security commitments. While conquering COVID tops the immediate list of missions, he also must configure the department to face China, which he called America's "pacing threat" in his testimony, and consider the actions and strategy of a resurgent Russia. Additionally, Iran and North Korea remain concerns.
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