Politics & Government
Former Fort Bragg Commander Selected to Lead U.S. Army Central Command
If the Senate approves the nomination, Gen. Austin will work with the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to lead the withdrawal of troops and complete the transfer of security responsibility back to the Afghanistan National Security Forces
The Pentagon has announced that former Fort Bragg commander and the Army's vice chief of staff, General Lloyd J. Austin, III, will be nominated by President Obama to lead the U.S. Central Command. Central Command, also known as CENTCOM, is responsible for overseeing U.S. operations in the Middle East and the war in Afghanistan.
During Gen. Austin's service at Fort Bragg he was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division and he commanded the Combat Support Company, 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 508th Infantry and served as the Assistant S-3 (Operations) for 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. Austin also commanded the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg and served as the G-3 for the 82nd Airborne Division. Later in his career, Gen. Austin commanded the 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. It was shortly after this last Brigade command that he was assigned to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. where he served as Chief, Joint Operations Division, J-3, on the Joint Staff. He was then assigned to serve as Assistant Division Commander for Maneuver, 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart.
Gen. Austin was promoted to Lieutenant General on Dec. 8, 2006 and took command of the XVIII Airborne Corps in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In February of 2008, Gen. Austin became the second highest ranking commander in Iraq.
Find out what's happening in Fort Braggfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"During his final deployment to Iraq, Gen. Austin led our military efforts at a particularly important time, overseeing the drawdown of U.S. forces and equipment while simultaneously helping to ensure that hard-fought security gains were preserved and that Iraqis could secure and govern themselves," Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said in a written statement.
According to a report on Military.com, if the nomination is approved by the Senate, Gen. Austin will work with the head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan to lead the withdrawal and complete the transfer of security responsibility back to the Afghanistan National Security Forces. Gen. Austin will be replacing Marine Corps. Gen. James Mattis, who is retiring after two years of service leading CENTCOM.