General Lloyd J. Austin III
The First Black Secretary of Defense
After serving a distinguished military career, Lloyd James Austin III, a retired four-star Army general, was sworn in as the 28th secretary of defense on January 22, 2021. Austin served a total of 41 years in the military following his graduation at West Point, the U.S. Military Academy in upstate New York. While his confirmation as the first black secretary of defense is indeed a high historic point for Austin, his career is full of several firsts.
He commanded troops in active combat at all four levels in the office of general, and at the height of his career, he commanded an entire theater of war, being the first black American in history to hold that distinction. That post, which is an important division of the Department of Defense known as U.S. Central Command, left Austin in charge of U.S. military strategy and joint operations in the Middle East and Central and South Asia, covering a total area of 4 million square miles. As the Combined Forces Commander, Austin oversaw military efforts in the fight against ISIL, the terrorist organization in Iraq and Syria. In 2012, Austin made history again by serving as the vice chief of staff of the Army, being the first black person to hold that rank—the second highest in the service.
“While his confirmation as the first black secretary of defense is indeed a high historic point for Austin, his career is full of several firsts.”
Lloyd Austin was born in Mobile, Alabama in 1953, but his family later moved and raised him in Thomasville, Georgia. After being introduced to Catholicism by his mother, a devout observer of the faith, Austin continued in the religion. He graduated from West Point in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree and was commissioned in Infantry as a second lieutenant. His first assignment took him overseas to Germany, where he served with the 3rd Infantry Division. He later served with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina as well as the 10th Mountain—Light Infantry—Division at Fort Drum, New York, completing the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and earning his master’s degree from Auburn University in the interim. Another master’s (this time in business administration) was earned from Webster University in 1989.
After 41 years of service, Lloyd Austin retired on April 5, 2016, with a ceremony held at Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia. In retirement, he joined the boards of several companies, such as Raytheon Technologies, a military contractor; Nucor, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based producer of steel, and Tenet Healthcare. He also launched a consulting firm, Austin Strategy Group, LLC, in Great Falls, Virginia.
While he was shy of being retired for the 7 years required by law for prospective defense secretaries, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a waiver for the law in favor of Austin. He became the third secretary of defense in history to be granted such a waiver, following five-star general George Marshall in 1950 and Trump appointee James Mattis in 2017.
After being confirmed, Austin tweeted:
“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve as our country’s 28th Secretary of Defense, and I’m especially proud to be the first African American to hold the position. Let’s get to work.”
Lloyd Austin is married to Charlene Denise Banner, who has been his wife since 1980.
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This article appears in 21st Century Black Changemakers.
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Ralph Bunche was an activist and international civil servant with a storied career. He has the distinction of being the first black recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.