President-elect Biden has come under fire from his own party for choosing retired 4-star general Lloyd Austin as his secretary of defense (but Colin Powell calls him a “superb choice;” read about that here). So Biden has decided to explain the decision.
First, and true to Biden form, he knows him well. Writing in The Atlantic (here), Biden said, “I’ve spent countless hours with him, in the field and in the White House Situation Room.” Biden is known to prefer people he has personal relationships with. That was also a factor in his picking Kamala Harris for vice president.
Second, Biden argues that Austin’s background is “uniquely matched to the challenges and crises we face.” He explains,
“The next secretary of defense will need to immediately quarterback an enormous logistics operation to help distribute COVID-19 vaccines widely and equitably. Austin oversaw the largest logistical operation undertaken by the Army in six decades—the Iraq drawdown.
“The next secretary of defense will need to ensure the well-being and resilience of our service members and their families, strained by almost two decades of war. …
“And the next secretary of defense will have to make sure that our armed forces reflect and promote the full diversity of our nation.”
Third, he chose Austin, he says, because “he will do whatever it takes to defend the American people,” citing the general’s role in “beat[ing] back ISIS [by] helping to build a coalition of partners and allies from more than 70 countries who worked together to overcome a common enemy.”
Fourth, Biden says “the civil-military dynamic has been under great stress these past four years” and Austin “will work tirelessly to get it back on track,” a veiled jab at Trump’s management of our military affairs.
Finally, Biden says “our military is only one instrument of our national security. … He and I share a commitment to empowering our diplomats and development experts to lead our foreign policy, using force only as our last resort,” which reflects Biden’s preference for appointees who share his policy views. At this juncture, it’s clear that Biden intends to emphasize diplomacy, and de-emphasize muscle, in our foreign relations. (Intentions are one thing; events are another.)
Summing up, Biden acknowledges the “threats we face today” have changed and we “must prepare to meet the challenges of the future, not keep fighting the wars of the past,” but doesn’t go into specifics, so it’s unclear exactly what this means. However, readers who follow military matters probably are aware of an emerging new Great Power rivalry, China’s military ambitions, a U.S. shift back to conventional warfighting capability, and the changing techology and nature of warfare (e.g., cyberwarfare, drones and pilotless aircraft, hypersonic delivery vehicles, etc.).
This article doesn’t tell us anything about such things as procurement priorities, restructuring and resizing the force structure (e.g., the Marines are getting rid of their tanks), defense spending levels, the “Asia pivot,” ongoing debates over aircraft carriers, etc. And there are plenty of people who think about military matters going around saying we might not win the next war (presumably against China).
It’s common for presidents’ best-laid plans to be derailed by unexpected crises (e.g., the 9/11/01 attacks), and this missive from the president-elect, couched in the typical language of politics, doesn’t really tell us much about how Biden would deal with, say, a Chinese invasion of Taiwan (something I think will happen, if not on Biden’s watch, then eventually, unless it is somehow deterred). Diplomacy has its place, but is easily blown off without muscle behind it. The biggest question of all is, will Biden let himself be pushed around by the likes of Xi?