President-elect Joe Biden says his national security team will lead the way in reflecting the fact that “America is back” on the world stage.
During a speech on Tuesday in Wilmington, Delaware, Mr Biden said that his team would “embody my core beliefs that America is strongest when it works with its allies”.
In rolling out his national security team choices, including top posts for state department and department of homeland security, Mr Biden said the nominees show “experience and leadership, fresh thinking and perspective and an unrelenting belief in the promise of America”.
The state department alone has seen a significant number of departures from its senior and rising mid-level ranks during the Trump administration.
We have no time to lose when it comes to our national security and foreign policy — I need a team that’s ready on day one. Tune in as I introduce key members of that team for the first time. https://t.co/eYC4hDwV05
Advertisement— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 24, 2020
Many diplomats have opted to retire or leave the foreign service, given limited prospects for advancements under an administration they believed did not value their expertise.
Mr Biden said he was pleased that his administration has officially been allowed to begin the transition process in filling out a new government.
He said that receiving the transitional status known as “ascertainment” would allow his team to “prepare to meet the challenges at hand” in transferring power from the Trump administration to his own.
Late Monday, the General Services Administration “ascertained” that Mr Biden is the apparent winner of this month’s presidential election.
That process gives the incoming president and his team access to officials at federal agencies and directs the justice department to work on security clearances for transition team members and Biden political appointees.
Mr Biden spoke as he rolled out his choices to fill top national security slots in his cabinet including secretary of state, national security adviser and a new, cabinet-level post dedicated to climate change.
He said he hoped his nominees receive a prompt confirmation process.
