Intensely private, Biden's pick for defense secretary is thrust into eligibility battle

FILE PHOTO: Iraq's acting defence minister Saadoun al-Dulaimi (R) greets Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Gen. Lloyd Austin during a meeting in Baghdad May 11, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ask anyone who knows retired Army General Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden's pick for defense secretary, and two descriptions come up again and again - intensely private and razor-sharp.

But Austin, who studiously avoided the spotlight during his long military career, even as he led troops in war, is about to be thrust into perhaps the most personal, public battle of his life over his eligibility as a candidate to lead the Pentagon.