Who is Lloyd Austin?

Lloyd James Austin III is the 28th Defence Secretary of the United States, serving since January 22, 2021. He is the first African-American military officer to hold this honourable post. 

He served as the 12th Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2013 to 2016, and as the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff and Commander of the United States Army from 2012 to March 2013.

Lloyd Austin Bio

Early Life and Education

Lloyd Austin was born on 8 August 1953 in Mobile, Alabama, USA, in a Catholic family to Lloyd James Austin Jr. (Postal worker) and Aletia Taylor Austin.

Austin’s childhood was spent in Thomasville, Georgia. He received his primary and secondary education from Thomas County High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point in 1975.

Upon graduating from West Point, he was selected for a Rhodes Scholarship, but chose to serve in the Army. During this time he graduated from the Joint Army War College for National Security and Strategy Studies.

In 1986 Austin earned a Master of Arts degree in councellor education from Auburn University’s College of Education, and in 1989 he earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in business management from Webster University. In 2009, Austin was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters degree from Auburn University.

Beginning Career

Lloyd Austin first joined the United States Army in 1975 as a second lieutenant. He served in the US Army from 1975 to April 5, 2016.

During this time, he served in numerous command positions, including Commanding General of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division, Commanding General of the Multinational Force in Iraq, key staff positions at the Pentagon, the Joint Staff, and Vice Chief of the Army Staff is involved.

Mr. Lloyd Austin retired as a 4-star general in 2016. He received numerous awards and honours for his 40 years of military service, including the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Legion of Merit.

He was awarded the Silver Star, the third highest gallantry award, for his leadership of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Brief description of career as a military officer

• Mr. Lloyd Austin was appointed as a second lieutenant in 1975.
• In 1981, Mr. Austin became operations officer for the Army Indianapolis District Recruiting Command.
• In 1993, Mr. Austin became commander of the 505th Infantry in the 82nd Airborne Division.
• Mr. Austin was commanding general of the 10th Mountain Division from September 2003 to August 2005 and commander of Combined Joint Task Force 180 during the war in Afghanistan.
• From September 2005 to October 2006, Mr. Austin was chief of staff for US Central Command at MacDill AFB in Florida.
• On December 8, 2006, Mr. Austin was promoted to lieutenant general.
• Mr. Austin became the second highest ranking commander to command Multi-National Corps – Iraq (MNC-I) in February 2008.
• Mr. Austin was made Director of the Joint Staff in August 2009 at the direction of Admiral Michael Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
• On September 1, 2010, Mr. Austin was promoted to general and became the Army’s 200th four-star general officer and the sixth African American to achieve the top rank in the US Army.
• On January 31, 2012, Mr. Austin was promoted to Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army (VCSA).
• On March 22, 2013, Mr. Austin became the commander of CENTCOM. Before this, General James Mattis was the CENTCOM commander.
• Austin retired at Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on April 5, 2016.

United States Defence Secretary (2021- Present)

After retiring as a 4-star general on April 5, 2016, Mr. Lloyd Austin served on several private sector boards of directors, including Raytheon Technologies (2016), Nucor (2017), and Tenet Healthcare (May 29, 2018). He also supported Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election.

On December 7, 2020, Mr. Lloyd Austin was nominated for the post of Secretary of Defence with the support of President Joe Biden and after being confirmed by the Senate 93-2 on January 22, 2021, he took up the post of US Secretary of Defence and till now is occupied.

He also had the experience of serving for 41 years as a military officer in the US Army. He played a key role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and also worked in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific region, giving him a deep understanding of international security matters.

Due to all these factors, he came close to President Joe Biden and with the support of Democratic Party leaders, occupied the post of Defence Secretary.

Lloyd Austin’s Wife

Lloyd Austin’s wife is Charlene Denise Banner Austin, who serves on the board of the Military Families Research Institute at Purdue University. He married Charlene Denise Banner in 1984. He has two step-sons.

Presently Lloyd Austin lives in Washington D.C.. He is battling prostate cancer, which he was diagnosed with in December 2023.

Lloyd Austin’s Net worth 

Lloyd Austin’s current net worth is estimated to be around $7 million. He is a retired military officer and currently serves as the Defence Secretary. His annual salary as Secretary of Defence is $221,400. Along with this, he also earns through investment. He earns approximately $100,000 annually from investments.

Lloyd Austin Hobbies and Interest

Lloyd Austin enjoys reading books, writing, playing golf, and playing the piano.

Conclusion

Overall, Mr. Lloyd Austin is an experienced military officer and defence policy expert who created many records during his four-decade US military career. He is the first black officer to hold such a senior position and is carrying out his leadership very well.