Lloyd Austin

Lloyd Austin

Lloyd James Austin III (born 8 August 1953) is a United States Army general. He took office as the 33rd Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army on January 31, 2012. His previous assignment was as the last Commanding General of United States Forces - Iraq, Operation New Dawn, which lasted until December 15, 2011. On December 06, 2012, the Pentagon announced that President Obama will nominate General Austin to lead the U.S. Central Command. “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 statement.