President Obama today nominated a new leader for one of Tampa’s most visible military institutions, U.S. Central Command, based MacDill Air Force Base.
The nominee: Gen. Lloyd Austin, who currently serves as vice chief of staff of the Army. He is one of the military’s most seasoned combat leaders according to a statement from Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta:
“Gen. Austin led the 3rd Infantry Division from the front in the opening months of the Iraq war, earning a Silver Star for valor," Panetta said. "He later commanded the 10th Mountain Division in Afghanistan, led Multi-National Corps-Iraq from February 2008 until April 2009, and then commanded U.S. Forces-Iraq from September 2010 through the completion of the mission in December 2011."
