WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th December, 2020) Presumed President-elect Joe Biden said during a press conference on Wednesday that he asked Congress to provide a waiver to allow him to nominate retired US Army General Lloyd Austin to be his Secretary of Defense because Austin has not been out of the military for the required 7 years.
"I asked the Congress to grant a waiver for Secretary-designate Austin," Biden told reporters.
Austin previously served as the head of the Central Command.
Biden praised Austin for his role in pulling out 150,000 US troops from Iraq during President Barack Obama's tenure, adding that the general practiced good diplomacy when engaging with Iraqi and other US partners in the middle East.
Other Biden cabinet picks include Antony Blinken to be Secretary of State, Avril Haines to be Director of National Intelligence, Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be US Ambassador to the United Nations and former Federal Reserve chairwoman Janet Yellen to lead the Treasury Department.
