[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 13 (Friday, January 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S97-S98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    NOMINATION OF LLOYD JAMES AUSTIN

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. President, our Founding Fathers believed strongly in 
the civilian control of our military. Having escaped from the tyranny 
of the British crown, they did not want the powers of government and 
military to be fused. In America, the people would control their Armed 
Forces. This standard has endured, and was enshrined in law in 1947. 
Congress had to pass a waiver to the 1947 law in 2017, and we are being 
asked to do it again in 2021. I hope that this is the last time 
Congress will be asked to pass such a waiver.
  Civilian control of the military goes beyond the basic question of 
how long ago a nominee wore the uniform. It is also a question of 
whether the nominee is enmeshed in the interests of our vast defense 
contracting industry, an industry whose bottom line depends on an 
expansive American military posture and, with it, an ever-growing 
defense budget. Going from firing the missiles to selling the missiles 
is technically a move into a civilian role, but nothing more. It is 
every bit as corrosive to the principle of civilian rule for the head 
of the Pentagon to churn from the military to the boardroom to the 
Pentagon, working with many of the same people at every step along the 
way.
  General Austin retired from the Army in 2016, and he immediately 
joined the board of United Technologies, which was acquired by 
Raytheon. He was very well-compensated for his work there, and is 
reportedly due a buy-out of up to $1.7 million when he leaves Raytheon 
and his other work and returns to the Pentagon. All we are doing by 
confirming these types of nominees, no matter their other 
qualifications, is tightening the ever-increasing bonds between the 
military and the contractors who serve it. It is getting hard to see 
where one stops and the other begins. No pledge of recusal from a 
nominee will solve this larger problem. We are not limited to selecting 
our Secretary of Defense from the world of defense contractors, and our 
country would be better off if we stopped. However, with regard to 
experience and expertise, I do not question General Austin's 
qualifications and will vote to allow the President his choice.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise today in support of General 
Lloyd Austin's confirmation to be Secretary of Defense, and I urge my 
colleagues to support his nomination in the vote we are about to take.
  General Austin has proven through his 41-year military career that he 
is extremely capable of leading our military as they confront multiple 
challenges.
  First, General Austin is a proven leader that will provide stability 
within our military ranks. After 4 years of tumultuous leadership under 
the Trump administration, our troops deserve a steady hand to lead them 
in the defense of our Nation.
  Moreover, our allies need a Secretary of Defense who speaks reliably 
on behalf of the President.
  Second, General Austin brings a wealth of experience to counter 
global defense challenges. He oversaw U.S. and coalition forces in 
Iraq, served as a Vice Chief of Staff of the Army where he worked to 
increase diversity in the highest ranks of our military, and commanded 
U.S. Central Command in its fight against ISIS and other regional 
threats.
  Third, General Austin's previous appointments to the Joint Staff and 
as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army prepared him to tackle strategic 
issues in the Department of Defense. He has committed to filling key 
positions with personnel that bring civilian expertise,

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a sign he fully respects civilian control of the military.
  Finally, our country faces several threats that President Biden's 
administration must address immediately. General Austin's intimate 
knowledge of our military will allow him to hit the ground running at 
the Department and make wise investments that deter global aggressors.
  I especially welcome General Austin's pledge to support our country's 
pandemic response efforts, such as helping with the distribution of 
vaccines nationwide. Through his leadership, the military can provide 
much needed medical and logistical support to counter the COVID 
pandemic.
  We are facing an unprecedented set of national security challenges, 
both at home and overseas. I have full confidence in General Austin's 
ability to help us overcome these challenges, and I urge my colleagues 
to vote in favor of his confirmation.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, it is my understanding that Chairman Inhofe 
is in route to provide his comments, and I just want to begin by 
thanking him for his tremendous leadership. Without his dedication to a 
bipartisan, thoughtful process, we would not be here today, and it is 
the hallmark of his leadership throughout the years we have worked 
together. I anticipate his arrival.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Duly noted.
  Mr. REED. In order to expedite the vote, I will proceed.
  Mr. President, I rise to express my support for the confirmation of 
Lloyd Austin to be the Secretary of Defense of the United States.
  General Austin is an exceptionally qualified leader with a long and 
distinguished career in the U.S. military. He has served at the highest 
echelons of the Army and capped his service as the commander of U.S. 
Central Command. His character and integrity are unquestioned, and he 
possesses the knowledge and skills to effectively lead the Pentagon.
  The United States faces many complex security threats. If confirmed 
as Secretary of Defense, General Austin will lead the Department during 
a time when U.S. strategic priorities have shifted to focus 
increasingly on near-peer competition with China and Russia. The 
Department must also transform how it operates with an increased focus 
on critical technologies like artificial intelligence, quantum 
computing, biotechnology, and cyber security, while also emphasizing 
rapid delivery of advanced new weapons systems on timelines that keep 
pace with technological change.
  In addition, President Biden must address the urgent and dire 
challenges that few of us would have anticipated 4 years ago. Our 
country is in the midst of a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of 
thousands of lives and infected millions more and resulted in billions 
in economic damage, and the virus is still not under control. Recently, 
it was revealed that large segments of the Federal Government and major 
companies were hacked by Russia. We are still trying to ascertain the 
extent of the breach, but it could be the most significant cyber 
intrusion in the history of our country or perhaps the world. This 
event, too, should prompt us to move promptly to fill Cabinet positions 
that are critical to our national security.
  Unfortunately, the Department of Defense is adrift and in desperate 
need of steadfast leadership. Over the course of the past 4 years, 
there has been repeated turnover at senior levels of the Department and 
a concerted effort to purposefully leave multiple civilian offices 
unfilled, necessitating the installment of career or midlevel officials 
into positions in an acting capacity.
  Unlike other nominees for Cabinet positions, Congress must provide, 
as Senator McConnell indicated, an exception for General Austin to 
serve as Secretary of Defense. Under the current statute, individuals 
are prohibited from appointment if they are within 7 years of military 
service. Congress found itself in a similar situation 4 years ago when 
President Trump nominated Gen. James Mattis to be the Secretary of 
Defense.
  Prior to General Austin's confirmation hearing, the Senate Armed 
Services Committee held a hearing on civilian control of the Armed 
Forces that focused on the erosion of civil-military relations. At the 
hearing, valid concerns were raised about providing another waiver so 
soon after Secretary Mattis. However, at his nomination hearing earlier 
this week, General Austin pledged his commitment to repairing civil-
military relations while also empowering civilian personnel within the 
Department of Defense. These are critical commitments by General Austin 
and ones that I support.
  Therefore, yesterday I voted in favor of the legislation to provide 
General Austin with an exception to serve as Secretary of Defense, and 
I was pleased the legislation received strong bipartisan support.
  General Austin is an outstanding choice to serve as Secretary of 
Defense. I am proud to support his nomination, given the unique 
challenges we face. I think from now on, in a few moments, we can refer 
to him as Secretary Austin, which is the appropriate title for his 
role.
  With that, I yield the floor to my colleague, the chairman.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The senior Senator from Oklahoma.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, yesterday I had the opportunity to respond 
to the majority on my support for Tony Blinken to be the Secretary of 
State. He is someone I have known for a long period of time. I think we 
will see that with the new administration here and myself being a 
conservative Republican, there will be some appointments that I will 
not really be excited about and agree with, in which case I will state 
it. But in the case of the Secretary of State, I expressed myself 
yesterday and I want to do it again today for what I consider to be a 
really critical first appointment--second appointment that the new 
administration makes, and that would be for General Austin to be the 
person in charge at a time that is very unique.
  I agree with the Senator who just spoke about the qualities of this 
general. We know that he rose through the ranks through the Army to 
become the first four-star general and commander of Central Command 
from 2013 to 2016. He has done everything right.
  We, right now--I know the Presiding Officer is aware of this and 
certainly the ranking member of the committee is aware of this--we are 
in the most threatening times that we have ever been in. We have China 
and Russia out there with capabilities that we didn't really believe we 
would find ourselves with. So that is going to be the primary concern 
of this new administration, and I can't think of a better person to 
take the helm than General Austin to provide the leadership.

  And it is true that we had to have a waiver yesterday. That waiver 
was overwhelmingly supported in a bipartisan way. So everyone knows 
that we gave a lot of thought to it. And this is at a time where we 
really needed someone with the background of General Austin to take 
that position, and I strongly support it and look forward to serving 
with him.
  I yield the floor.