Assistant Secretary of the Army is a title used to describe various civilian officials in the United States Department of the Army.
Present Assistant Secretaries of the Army
At present, there are five offices bearing the title of Assistant Secretary of the Army:
- Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics and Technology)
- Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works)
- Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller)
- Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment)
- Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
The General Counsel of the Army is equivalent in rank to the Assistant Secretaries.
The five Assistant Secretaries and the GC report to and assist the United States Secretary of the Army and the United States Under Secretary of the Army.
By law, the Assistant Secretaries "shall be appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate".
History
The office of Assistant Secretary of the Army was established at the time of the creation of the United States Department of Defense in 1947, and assumed many of the duties previously carried out by the United States Assistant Secretary of War in the United States Department of War. In February 1950, a second office, Assistant Secretary of the Army (General Management) was added. In May 1952, Assistant Secretary of the Army Earl D. Johnson's office was renamed Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Materiel), making Jones the last individual to bear the stand-alone title of Assistant Secretary of the Army. In addition to the current offices bearing the title of Assistant Secretary of the Army, several individuals have held office as some type of Assistant Secretary, as shown below.
Assistant Secretaries of the Army, 1947—1952
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Gray | September 24, 1947 | May 24, 1948 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall |
| Tracy Voorhees | June 17, 1948 | August 21, 1949 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Gordon Gray |
| Earl D. Johnson | May 31, 1950 | May 7, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Frank Pace |
Assistant Secretaries of the Army (General Management), 1950—1953
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Bendetsen | February 2, 1950 | May 6, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Frank Pace |
| Francis Shackelford | August 26, 1952 | 20 January 1953 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Gordon Gray |
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Materiel), 1952
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earl D. Johnson | May 7, 1952 | October 20, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Frank Pace |
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Materiel), 1953—1954
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Slezak | May 4, 1953 | February 7, 1954 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Robert T. Stevens |
Assistant Secretaries of the Army (Civil-Military Affairs), 1954—1958
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George H. Roderick | August 26, 1954 | February 29, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Robert T. Stevens, Wilber M. Brucker |
| Dewey Jackson Short | March 15, 1957 | November 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Wilber M. Brucker |
References
- 10 U.S.C. § 3016(a)
- "James E. Hewes, Jr., From Root to McNamara: Army Organization and Administration (1975), pp. 381-382". Archived from the original on 2017-01-23. Retrieved 2010-12-19.