HICKS CHOSEN AS FIRST FEMALE DEPUTY DEFENCE SECRETARY

President- elect Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated Kathleen Hicks, pictured, to be his deputy defence secretary, making her the first woman to hold the position if she is confirmed by the Senate. Hicks, who is leading Biden’s transition team at the Defense Department, is a former senior Pentagon official most recently at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think- tank in Washington. Earlier this month, Biden announced that he had picked retired general Lloyd Austin, who oversaw U. S. forces in the Middle East under President Barack Obama, to be his defence secretary. In a statement, Biden announced Hicks as his nominee for the No. 2 Pentagon position and Colin Kahl, his former national security adviser, for the No. 3 post.