In a Wednesday interview on “NBC Nightly News,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin addressed calls from Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth to dismiss Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. due to his support for diversity initiatives.
Austin responded by emphasizing the importance of young military personnel seeing themselves reflected in senior leadership, stating, “I think it’s important that young officers, young soldiers, young sergeants, be able to see themselves in our senior leadership.”
He also praised Brown as “one of the most competent officers I’ve ever worked with.”
NBC News National Security and Pentagon Correspondent Courtney Kube asked: “Your likely successor has also said recently, the U.S. has to fire the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs because of his support of diversity initiatives.
“How would Captain Lloyd Austin have felt about a statement like that out of the incoming secretary of defense?”
Austin replied: “Captain Lloyd Austin would be very concerned.”
“Courtney, I think it’s important that young officers, young soldiers, young sergeants, be able to see themselves in our senior leadership. This is the third time that I’ve served with Gen. Brown directly. He’s one of the most competent officers I’ve ever worked with,” he added.
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