Newly confirmed U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces a world of security threats and a large military bureaucracy. The first Black defense leader also faces another problem in the military: removing racism and extremism among soldiers. Austin takes office as Americans are starting to understand that some of the people who took part in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol were current or former members of the military. The retired four-star general recently told senators that the Pentagon’s job is to keep America safe from our enemies. But we can’t do that if some of those enemies lie within our own ranks. Removing racists from the military is not his only immediate goal. Austin’s military will also play an important part in making sure all Americans get the coronavirus vaccine.