Lloyd Austin, 70, is a retired US Army four-star general who serves as the 28th United States secretary of defense. Nominated by President Joe Biden, he is the first African American to serve in that role. Austin is a staunch defender of Israel and his recent work has strengthened the ties between India and the US. He was raised by a devout Catholic mother and still practises his faith.
Martin Dempsey
General and former Joint Chiefs of Staff
Martin Dempsey, 71, served as the 18th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and is a retired US Army general who also previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Army. He attended John S Burke Catholic High School in New York and holds a master’s degree in literature from Duke University, writing his thesis on the Irish literary revival. He has given a lecture on faith in geopolitics for the Duke Catholic Center and was the principal speaker at Notre Dame’s 171st University Commencement Ceremony in 2016.
Joseph Dunford
General and former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Joseph Francis Dunford Jr, 68, was the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military adviser to the president, secretary of defense and National Security Council from 2015 to 2019. A native of Boston, he graduated from Saint Michael’s College and was commissioned in 1977. In 2020, he headlined the annual Celebration of the Priesthood dinner honouring active and senior priests in Greater Boston. In a recent interview he spoke of how his Catholic faith informed his military leadership.
Mark Milley
Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Mark Milley, 65, served as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces under the Trump and Biden administrations until his retirement in 2023. He served as the 39th chief of staff of the Army from 2015 to 2019, and held multiple command and staff positions in eight divisions and the special forces throughout his career, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Milley is of Irish Catholic descent and a member of the Knights of Columbus. In 2023, he and his wife were received by the Holy Father for a private audience.
This article first appeared in the February 2024 issue of the Catholic Herald magazine. To subscribe to our multiple-award-winning magazine and have it delivered to your door anywhere in the world, go here.
Areas of Catholic Herald business are still recovering post-pandemic.
However, we are reaching out to the Catholic community and readership, that has been so loyal to the Catholic Herald. Please join us on our 135 year mission by supporting us.
We are raising £250,000 to safeguard the Herald as a world-leading voice in Catholic journalism and teaching.
We have been a bold and influential voice in the church since 1888, standing up for traditional Catholic culture and values. Please consider donating.