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WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden formally announced on Wednesday retired four-star Army Gen. Lloyd Austin as his pick to be the 28th secretary of Defense.

“We must prepare to meet the challenges for the future, not just keep fighting wars of the past, we must build a foreign policy to lead with diplomacy, revitalizes the State Department, revitalizes our alliance, putting American leadership back at the table and rallying the world to meet global threats,” Biden said.

“From pandemics to climate change, from nuclear proliferation to the refugee crisis … Lloyd Austin knows how to do this work,” he added.

The selection of Austin has triggered some controversy related to his business ties as well as his status as a recently retired general. Austin is currently a board member at defense giant Raytheon. President Donald Trump’s former Pentagon chiefs James Mattis, Mark Esper and acting secretary of defense Patrick Shanahan also had ties to defense giants General Dynamics, Raytheon and Boeing.

Under the National Security Act of 1947, Congress has prohibited any individual from serving as secretary of Defense within seven years of active-duty service. But Austin left the Army just four years ago, and he would require a special congressional waiver in order to bypass the seven-year rule.

“There’s a good reason for this law that I fully understand and respect. I would not be asking for this exception if I did not believe that this moment in our history doesn’t call for it,” Biden said.

“I know this man, I know his respect for our Constitution and our respect for our system of government. So, just as they did for Secretary Jim Mattis, I asked Congress to grant a waiver,” Biden added.

If confirmed by the Senate, the 1975 graduate of West Point would be the first Black leader of the Pentagon, breaking one of the more enduring barriers in the U.S. government.