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Lloyd Austin and I served as Lieutenant Colonels together on the 10th Mountain Division staff -- a division Major General Austin would eventually command. He is a man of the highest integrity. Steady in the saddle. Great command climate.
Austin is a great pick to lead our military in a dangerous world.
Aside from his credentials, this historic pick sends a sorely needed message to our men and women in uniform -- that someone who looks like so many of them is finally leading the Pentagon.
At a time when the military is making great strides to ban symbols of hate and hopefully will soon rename bases that were named after white supremacists, to have a black man leading the Pentagon sends the strongest of messages.
Finally, the pick sends the signal to our senior military leadership that a Biden administration respects them and will listen to them, even when they disagree with the president. There will be no loyalty tests, other than the oath of service, declaring loyalty to our Constitution.
This is the dawn of a new, bright day at our Department of Defense.
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Yours,
Major General (ret.) Paul Eaton