JOE BIDEN is poised to appoint Lloyd J Austin as the United States' Secretary of Defence in his new administration.
He will become the first ever African-American to hold the position.
Mr Austin is a retired four-star army general and is now expected to land the role ahead of long-time front-runner Michele Flournoy, who would become the first woman to ever hold the position.
According to reports, President-Elect Biden offered the role to general Austin on Sunday, but no official announcement has been made.
Lloyd AustinCivil rights campaigners have been urging Biden to pick more black cabinet members in what already appears to be a fairly diverse administration.
On Monday, prominent civil rights activist Al Sharpton described General Austin as "a good choice."
"I think many in the civil rights community would support [the appointment]. It's the first time we have seen a person of colour in that position.
"That means something in a global view, especially after such an antagonistic relationship we had with the previous administration."
General Austin also served as the first black vice chief of staff of the US army in 2012, and worked frequently with Biden who was vice president at the time.
Biden is set to become President of the United States on January 20, providing nothing comes of Donald Trump's legal challenge to the results of last month's election.
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