Lloyd Austin

Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III is Co-Founder and CEO of Clarion Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based geostrategic advisory firm. He previously served as the 28th Secretary of Defense of the United States, leading the Department of Defense through a period of unprecedented modernization and strategic reorientation toward China. Prior to his confirmation as Secretary, Austin retired from the U.S. Army as a four-star general after more than 40 years of service, including as Commander of U.S. Central Command, where he oversaw all U.S. and coalition military operations across the Middle East and South Asia.