Fountain Valley News - Your Hometown Community Newspaper

Lloyd J. Austin III is the 28th secretary of defense, sworn in on Jan. 22. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Austin served 41 years in uniform, retiring as a four-star Army general after three years as commander of U.S. Central Command. The defense secretary oversees the Defense Department and acts as the principal defense policy maker and adviser.