BLUF:[Common Dreams] When he decided which generals and admirals to fire and whom to hire in their place, Eisenhower didn't have to worry about identity politics. Top commanders were of a single skin tone in 1950s America. Today, however, any chief executive who ignores identity-related issues does so at their peril, laying themselves open to the charge of bigotry.
Which brings us to the case of retired four-star general Lloyd Austin, former Iraq War and CENTCOM commander. As a freshly minted civilian, Austin presides as the first Black defense secretary, a notable distinction given that senior Pentagon officials have tended to be white or male (and usually both). And while, by all reports, General Austin is an upright citizen and decent human being, it's become increasingly clear that he lacks qualities the nation needs when critically examining this country's less-than-awesome military performance, which should be the order of the day. Whatever suit he may wear to the office, he remains a general—and that is a problem.
Austin also lacks imagination, drive, and charisma. Nor is he a creative thinker. Rather than an agent of change, he's a cheerleader for the status quo—or perhaps more accurately, for a status quo defined by a Pentagon budget that never stops rising.
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Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-08 US reaffirms support for Peshmerga to continue fighting ISIS
Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-06 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admits China is 'on pace to become a peer competitor' to US military and warns Xi Jinping wants to build a THOUSAND nuclear warheads by 2030
Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-03 US Defense Minister warns Ukraine about the threat of an attack by the USSR
Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-08 US reaffirms support for Peshmerga to continue fighting ISIS
Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-06 Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin admits China is 'on pace to become a peer competitor' to US military and warns Xi Jinping wants to build a THOUSAND nuclear warheads by 2030
Lloyd Austin: 2021-12-03 US Defense Minister warns Ukraine about the threat of an attack by the USSR