Rounds Votes to Confirm General Lloyd Austin to be Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON —U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today voted to confirm General Lloyd Austin to be the Secretary of Defense. Rounds also supported a waiver for Mr. Austin, which is necessary because he is not yet seven years removed from military service. Austin was confirmed by a vote of 93-2.

“Mr. Austin will make an excellent Secretary of Defense,” said Rounds. “He has earned praise from his colleagues throughout his military career, from the time he entered the Army in 1975 to working his way up to become a four-star general. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I look forward to working with Mr. Austin on continuing to strengthen our national defense, especially in the cyber realm. We will also be working closely with him as we bring the next-generation B-21 Raider bombers to Ellsworth Air Force Base in the near future.”

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