WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Joe Biden is making his case for retired Army Gen. Lloyd Austin to be secretary of defense, urging Congress to waive a legal prohibition against a recently serving military officer running the Pentagon.

With concern rising in Congress about maintaining civilian control of the military, Biden is suggesting he feels a need to counter an emerging narrative that Austin’s nomination blurs the lines between civil and military roles.

Writing in The Atlantic on Tuesday, Biden urged Congress to grant such a waiver. He said, “Given the immense and urgent threats and challenges our nation faces, he should be confirmed swiftly.”