By Jon King / jking@whmi.com


8th District Democrat Elissa Slotkin is expressing reservations about the man reportedly selected to become the next Secretary of Defense.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to nominate retired four-star Army general Lloyd J. Austin as defense secretary. If confirmed by the Senate, Austin would be the first Black Pentagon chief. Austin retired from the Army in 2016, which means he would require a congressional waiver to take the job. It’s that fact that has Congresswoman Slotkin concerned, issuing a statement this morning in which she said that while she has, “deep respect” for General Austin, “choosing another recently retired general to serve in a role that is designed for a civilian just feels off.”

Slotkin noted that she worked with General Austin on Iraq when he commanded U.S. forces there, when he was vice chief of the Army, and when he was the CENTCOM commander. But she says the “job of secretary of defense is purpose-built to ensure civilian oversight of the military” which “is why it requires a waiver from the House and Senate to put a recently retired military officer in the job.” Slotkin says that after the last four years, “civil-military relations at the Pentagon definitely need to be rebalanced” and that while General Austin has had an “incredible career”, she’ll “need to understand what he and the Biden Administration plan to do to address these concerns” before she can vote for his waiver.

One of the people who confirmed the pick said Austin’s selection was about choosing the best possible person but acknowledged that pressure had built to name a candidate of color and that Austin’s stock had risen in recent days.