Civilian control of the military is a necessary part of fixing U.S. foreign policy, but Biden has named retired General Lloyd Austin as his Secretary of Defense. As QI President Andrew Bacevich tells Democracy… More Now!, "the General's not a civilian."
Bacevich pointed out that this goes against historical precedent; the National Security Act of 1947 "unified the armed forces, created institutions we are familiar with – such as the Joint Chiefs of Staff – and created the position of Defense Secretary." Only twice since 1947 has a non-civilian served as Defense Secretary.
While Bacevich is correct to highlight that this is only the third time since 1947 that a non-civilian will be the American Secretary of Defense, we still have high hopes for General Austin's tenure as Secretary of Defense.
Watch Andrew Bacevich's full interview with Democracy Now! — https://www.democracynow.org/2020/12/11/joe_biden_lloyd_austin_pentagon
