During an interview with NBC News aired on Wednesday’s broadcast of “NBC Nightly News,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin responded to Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth calling for the firing of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. over his support of diversity initiatives by stating that “I think it’s important that young officers, young soldiers, young sergeants, be able to see themselves in our senior leadership.” And stating that Brown is “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 answered, “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.”
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