New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black person responsible for overseeing the nation's armed forces, says his life experience has readied him to tackle extremism in the military's own ranks.
In an interview broadcast Sunday on ABC News, Austin, 67, recounted growing up in the deep South at a time when segregated bathrooms were still in use.
"To rise - to be able to rise - to a position of secretary of defense in my lifetime is quite incredible," he said on "This Week." "But you have to ask yourself, you know, why it took so long to get to have an African-American secretary of defense."
The Senate overwhelmingly confirmed Austin days after the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by fervent supporters of former President Trump. The attack, in which numerous military veterans participated, highlighted the problem of extremism among members of the armed forces.
© Provided by New York Daily NewsPresident Biden listens as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to Department of Defense personnel at the Pentagon.
President Biden listens as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin speaks to Department of Defense personnel at the Pentagon. (Patrick Semansky/)
Leaders are "having some really in-depth conversations with their troops on values, on the oath that we took, on the importance of unit cohesion," Austin said.
"This is not about, you know, political parties or political beliefs," he added. "This is behavior that can really tear at the fabric of our institution. And so we want to make sure that our troops are reminded of what our values are, reminded of the oath that we took coming in."
Austin also maintained that "99.9% of our troops embrace those values and are focused on the right things and are doing the right things each and every day."
On the U.S. role in the world, the retired four-star general said, "We want to lead with diplomacy in every case.
"But if deterrence fails, then you must fight. You fight to win," he added.
© SAUL LOEBNew Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday discussed the significance of being the first Black person in the role.
New Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday discussed the significance of being the first Black person in the role. "To rise - to be able to rise - to a position of secretary of defense in my lifetime is quite incredible," he said on ABC's "This Week." "But you have to ask yourself, you know, why it took so long to get to have an African American secretary of defense." (SAUL LOEB/)
Recent weeks have seen increased tensions in the Middle East, with U.S. forces in Iraq coming under rocket attacks and responding by hitting Iranian-backed militias.
Austin said the U.S. was still determining the culprit behind the latest attack on American forces.
"You can expect that we will always hold people accountable for their acts," he said. "We demand the right to protect our troops."