Pentagon names Air Force general as new press secretary

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday announced Air Force Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder will be the Pentagon’s next press secretary, the first uniformed officer to fill the position since 2015.

Ryder, the current Air Force public affairs director, steps into the role following the departure of John Kirby, who left the Defense Department in May join the White House as National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications.

Austin’s choice to have a uniformed Pentagon spokesperson, first reported by CNN, is unusual given that service members are meant to be apolitical.

The last uniformed officer in the role was then-Rear Adm. Kirby, who was appointed by then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in 2013. 

The following Defense Secretary, Ash Carter, replaced Kirby with former journalist Peter Cook when he entered the Pentagon in 2015.

Ryder is no stranger to the podium, as he served as head spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2017 to 2019.

He also worked for Austin from 2013 to 2016 as the top spokesman at U.S. Central Command when Austin was commander.

“Pat will fill a critical role, leading our efforts to provide timely, accurate information to the media, and through the media to the American people,” Austin said in a statement.

The Pentagon chief also lauded Ryder’s “wealth of experience, including joint and deployed assignments that will serve him well as he informs the media of our activities around the world.”

Austin said Ryder will spend the next few weeks closing out his Air Force and Space Force responsibilities before assuming his new role later this month.

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