Misplaced Pages

United States Secretary of the Army
Seal of the U.S. Department of the Army
Flag of the secretary
Incumbent Christine Wormuth since May 28, 2021
United States Department of the Army
Style	Madam Secretary
Reports to	United States Secretary of Defense
Appointer	President of the United States with Senate advice and consent
Term length	No fixed term
Precursor	Secretary of War
Formation	September 18, 1947
First holder	Kenneth Claiborne Royall
Succession	2nd in SecDef succession
Deputy	Under Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff of the Army
Salary	Executive Schedule, Level II
Website	Official website

The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications and financial management.

The secretary of the Army is nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. The secretary is a non-Cabinet-level official, subordinate to the secretary of Defense. This position was created on September 18, 1947, replacing the secretary of war, when the Department of War was split into the Department of the Army and Department of the Air Force.

On May 28, 2021, Christine Wormuth was sworn in as the 25th (and current) secretary of the Army, the first woman to serve in the role.

Roles and responsibilities

The Army senior leadership consists of two civilians; the secretary of the Army and the under secretary of the Army—and two military officers of four-star rank—the chief of staff of the United States Army and the vice chief of staff.

The secretary of the Army (10 U.S.C. § 7013) is in effect the chief executive officer of the Department of the Army, and the chief of staff of the Army works directly for the secretary. The secretary presents and justifies Army policies, plans, programs, and budgets to the secretary of defense, other executive branch officials, and to the congressional Defense Committees. The secretary also communicates Army policies, plans, programs, capabilities, and accomplishments to the public. As necessary, the secretary convenes meetings with the senior leadership of the Army to debate issues, provide direction, and seek advice. The secretary is a member of the Defense Acquisition Board.

The secretary of the Army has several responsibilities under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, including the authority to convene general courts-martial.

Office of the Secretary of the Army

The Office of the Secretary of the Army is composed of the under secretary of the Army, the assistant secretaries of the Army, the administrative assistant to the secretary, the general counsel of the Department of the Army, the inspector general of the Army, the chief of legislation, and the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee. Other offices may be established by law or by the secretary of the Army. No more than 1,900 Army officers on the active-duty list may be assigned or detailed to permanent duty in the Office of the Secretary of the Army and on the Army staff.

• Under 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)
  • General Counsel of the Army
  • Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army
  • Inspector General of the Army

Each civilian has a military counterpart, as shown in the diagram below. Thus, for example, the Army G-1 has a defined responsibility to the Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), the ASA (M&RA).

Chronological list of secretaries of the Army

Kenneth Claiborne Royall, the last secretary of war, became the first secretary of the Army when the National Defense Act of 1947 took effect. Gordon Gray was the last Army secretary to hold the Cabinet status, which was henceforth assigned to the secretary of defense.

Prior military service is not a requirement, but several have served in the United States armed forces. Secretary Stone (1989-1993) is the only holder to serve in the military outside of the United States.

Image	Name	Start	End	President(s)
	Kenneth Claiborne Royall	September 18, 1947	April 27, 1949		Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
	Gordon Gray	April 28, 1949	April 12, 1950
	Frank Pace	April 12, 1950	January 20, 1953
	Earl D. Johnson Acting	January 20, 1953	February 4, 1953		Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
	Robert T. Stevens	February 4, 1953	July 21, 1955
	Wilber M. Brucker	July 21, 1955	January 19, 1961
	Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr.	January 24, 1961	June 30, 1962		John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
	Cyrus Vance	July 5, 1962	January 21, 1964
					Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
	Stephen Ailes	January 28, 1964	July 1, 1965
	Stanley Resor	July 2, 1965	June 30, 1971
					Richard Nixon (1969–1974)
	Robert Froehlke	July 1, 1971	May 14, 1973
	Bo Callaway	May 15, 1973	July 3, 1975
					Gerald Ford (1974–1977)
	Norman R. Augustine Acting	July 3, 1975	August 5, 1975
	Martin Hoffmann	August 5, 1975	January 20, 1977
	Clifford Alexander Jr.	February 14, 1977	January 20, 1981		Jimmy Carter (1977–1981)
	Percy A. Pierre Acting	January 21, 1981	January 29, 1981		Ronald Reagan (1981–1989)
	John Marsh	January 30, 1981	August 14, 1989
					George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
	Michael P. W. Stone	August 14, 1989	January 20, 1993
	John W. Shannon Acting	January 20, 1993	August 26, 1993		Bill Clinton (1993–2001)
	Gordon R. Sullivan Acting	August 28, 1993	November 21, 1993
	Togo D. West Jr.	November 22, 1993	May 4, 1997
	Robert M. Walker Acting	December 2, 1997	July 1, 1998
	Louis Caldera	July 2, 1998	January 20, 2001
	Gregory R. Dahlberg Acting	January 20, 2001	March 4, 2001		George W. Bush (2001–2009)
	Joseph W. Westphal Acting	March 5, 2001	May 31, 2001
	Thomas E. White	May 31, 2001	May 9, 2003
	Les Brownlee Acting	May 10, 2003	November 18, 2004
	Francis J. Harvey	November 19, 2004	March 9, 2007
	Pete Geren	March 9, 2007	September 21, 2009
					Barack Obama (2009–2017)
	John M. McHugh	September 21, 2009	November 1, 2015
	Eric Fanning Acting	November 3, 2015	January 11, 2016
	Patrick Murphy Acting	January 11, 2016	May 17, 2016
	Eric Fanning	May 17, 2016	January 20, 2017
	Robert Speer Acting	January 20, 2017	August 2, 2017		Donald Trump (2017–2021)
	Ryan D. McCarthy Acting	August 2, 2017	November 20, 2017
	Mark Esper	November 20, 2017 On leave: June 24, 2019 – July 15, 2019	July 23, 2019
	Ryan D. McCarthy Acting	June 24, 2019	July 15, 2019
	Ryan D. McCarthy	July 23, 2019	September 30, 2019
		September 30, 2019	January 20, 2021
	John E. Whitley Acting	January 20, 2021	May 28, 2021		Joe Biden (2021–2025)
	Christine Wormuth	May 28, 2021	present

References

1. Archived 2010-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
2. "10 U.S. Code § 7013 - Secretary of the Army". Retrieved December 13, 2022.
3. ^ Bell, William Gardner (1992). ""Kenneth Claiborne Royall"". Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army: Portraits and Biographical Sketches. United States Army Center of Military History. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
4. "Secretary of the Army | The United States Army". Secretary of the Army | The United States Army. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
5. "Secretary of the Army". Archived from the original on September 21, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
6. "10 U.S. Code § 7014 - Office of the Secretary of the Army". Retrieved December 13, 2022.
7. Bell, William Gardner. ""Intro - Secretaries of War & Secretaries of the Army"". Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army: Portraits & Biographical Sketches. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
8. ^ Bell, William Gardner (1992). Secretaries of War and Secretaries of the Army: Portraits and Biographical Sketches. Washington, D.C.: United States Army Center of Military History.
9. Schmitt, Eric (August 28, 1993). "Acting Army Secretary, Accused Of Shoplifing, Is Placed on Leave". The New York Times. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
10. Miller, Bill (September 22, 1993). "Acting Army Secretary Admits Shoplifting". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
11. The Daily Sentinel (Ohio/West Virginia), Acting Army Chief Ticketed for Shoplifting, August 29, 1993
12. U.S. Organization Chart Service, Department of Defense Fact Book, 2006, page 17
13. ^ Dickstein, Corey (June 21, 2019). "Former Ranger McCarthy will take on duties of Army secretary on Monday". Stars and Stripes. Retrieved June 29, 2019. While Esper is serving as acting defense secretary, he will technically retain the title of secretary of the Army, one of the officials said.

External links

• Official website

v t e United States secretaries of war and the Army
Department of War (1789–1947)	Secretaries of war B. Lincoln Knox Pickering McHenry Dexter Dearborn Eustis Armstrong Monroe W. Crawford Calhoun Barbour P. Porter Eaton Cass Poinsett Bell Spencer J. Porter Wilkins Marcy G. Crawford Conrad J. Davis Floyd Holt S. Cameron Stanton Schofield Rawlins Belknap A. Taft J. Cameron McCrary Ramsey R. Lincoln Endicott Proctor Elkins Lamont Alger Root W. Taft Wright Dickinson Stimson Garrison Baker Weeks D. Davis Good Hurley Dern Woodring Stimson Patterson Royall Assistant secretaries of war Scott Watson Tucker Wolcott Dana Eckert Grant Doe Meiklejohn Sanger Oliver Breckinridge Ingraham Crowell Williams Wainwright D. Davis MacNider Robbins Hurley Payne Woodring L. Johnson Patterson McCloy Petersen Under secretaries of war Patterson Royall Draper
Department of the Army (1947–present)	Secretaries of the Army Royall Gray Pace Stevens Brucker Stahr Vance Ailes Resor Froehlke Callaway Hoffmann C. Alexander Marsh Stone West Caldera White Harvey Geren McHugh Fanning Esper McCarthy Wormuth Under secretaries of the Army Draper Gray Voorhees A. Alexander Bendetsen E. Johnson Slezak Finucane Milton Ailes Ignatius Resor McGiffert Beal BeLieu Staudt Augustine LaBerge Ambrose Stone Shannon Reeder Walker Rostker Dahlberg Brownlee Geren Ford Westphal Carson Murphy McCarthy McPherson Camarillo

v t e Senior officials in the United States Department of Defense
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks Secretaries of the Military Departments Secretary of the Army: Christine Wormuth Secretary of the Navy: Carlos Del Toro Secretary of the Air Force: Frank Kendall III Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Charles Q. Brown Jr., USAF Under Secretaries of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment: William A. LaPlante Research and Engineering: Heidi Shyu Policy: Amanda J. Dory (acting) Comptroller/Chief Financial Officer: Michael J. McCord Personnel and Readiness: Ashish Vazirani (acting) Intelligence: Milancy Harris (acting) Under Secretaries of the Military Departments Under Secretary of the Army: Gabe Camarillo Under Secretary of the Navy: Thomas Mancinelli (acting) Under Secretary of the Air Force: Melissa Dalton Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Christopher W. Grady, USN Chiefs of the Military Services Chief of Staff of the Army: GEN Randy A. George Commandant of the Marine Corps: Gen Eric M. Smith Chief of Naval Operations: ADM Lisa M. Franchetti Chief of Staff of the Air Force: Gen David W. Allvin Chief of Space Operations: Gen B. Chance Saltzman Chief of the National Guard Bureau Gen Steven S. Nordhaus, USAF Unified Combatant Command Commanders Africa: Gen Michael E. Langley, USMC Central: GEN Michael E. Kurilla, USA Cyber: Gen Timothy D. Haugh, USAF European: GEN Christopher G. Cavoli, USA Indo-Pacific: ADM Samuel J. Paparo Jr., USN Northern: Gen Gregory M. Guillot, USAF Southern: ADM Alvin Holsey, USN Space: Gen Stephen N. Whiting, USSF Special Operations: GEN Bryan P. Fenton, USA Strategic: Gen Anthony J. Cotton, USAF Transportation: Gen Randall Reed, USAF
- Acting

v t e United States Army
Leadership	Secretary of the Army Under Secretary of the Army Chief of Staff Vice Chief of Staff 4-star generals 3-star generals 1798–1959 1990–1999 2000–2009 2010–2019 2020–present Army Staff Senior Warrant Officer Sergeant Major of the Army House Armed Services Committee (House Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces) Senate Committee on Armed Services (Senate Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces)
Components and commands	Regular Army Army Reserve Army National Guard Active Units Reorganization plan of United States Army Commands Forces Futures Materiel Training and Doctrine Service components Central Europe and Africa Pacific North South Special Operations Surface Deployment and Distribution Space and Missile Defense Cyber Command Direct reporting units Second Army Medical Intelligence and Security Criminal Investigation Division Corps of Engineers Military District of Washington Test and Evaluation Military Academy Reserve Acquisition Support Center Installation Management War College Field armies First Third Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Branches Acquisition Corps Adjutant General's Corps Air Defense Artillery Branch Armor Branch Aviation Branch Army Band Chaplain Corps Chemical Corps Civil Affairs Corps Corps of Engineers Cyber Corps Dental Corps Field Artillery Branch Finance Corps Infantry Branch Inspector General's Corps Judge Advocate General's Corps Logistics Branch Medical Corps Medical Service Corps Medical Specialist Corps Military Intelligence Corps Military Police Corps Nurse Corps Ordnance Corps Psychological operations Quartermaster Corps Signal Corps Special Forces Transportation Corps Veterinary Corps
Installations	United States and overseas Germany Japan Kuwait South Korea
Training	Basic Training BOLC ROTC (ECP) OCS WOBC WOCS Military Academy (West Point) MOS
Uniforms and insignia	Awards and decorations Badges Branch Officer Warrant Enlisted World War I World War II Uniforms
Equipment	Individual weapons Crew-served weapons Vehicles
Premier ensembles	Army Field Band Army Band Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps West Point Band
History and traditions	History Continental Army Union army National Army Army of the United States Center of Military History Institute of Heraldry America's Army Army Art Program Flag National Museum West Point Museum Rangers U.S. Army Regimental System Soldier's Creed "The Army Goes Rolling Along" Division nicknames Draft Service numbers Seventh Army Symphony Orchestra
Historical	Buffalo Soldiers Army Air Forces Army Service Forces Women's Army Corps Rough Riders U.S. Cavalry United States Colored Troops United States Army Hospital Corps U.S. Sanitary Commission
Category

v t e United States Department of Defense
Headquarters: The Pentagon Lloyd Austin, Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, Deputy Secretary of Defense
Office of the Secretary of Defense (including defense agencies and DoD field activities) Deputy Secretary of Defense Deputy's Advisory Working Group Office of Net Assessment Special Access Program Oversight Committee Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Defense Contract Management Agency Defense Logistics Agency Defense Threat Reduction Agency Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Acquisition University Defense Acquisition Board Defense Microelectronics Activity Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense Innovation Unit Defense Technical Information Center Department of Defense Test Resource Management Center Missile Defense Agency Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Defense Security Cooperation Agency Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) Defense Contract Audit Agency Defense Finance and Accounting Service Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness Defense Commissary Agency Department of Defense Education Activity Defense Human Resources Activity Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute Defense Travel Management Office Defense Civilian Personnel Advisory Service Defense Health Agency Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Defense Intelligence Agency Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency Defense Information Systems Agency (White House Communications Agency) National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency National Reconnaissance Office National Security Agency/Central Security Service (Director/Chief) Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Defense Media Activity (American Forces Press Service, American Forces Radio and Television Service, Stars and Stripes, The Pentagon Channel) General Counsel of the Department of Defense Defense Legal Services Agency (Office of Military Commissions) Chief Management Officer of the Department of Defense Pentagon Force Protection Agency Washington Headquarters Services (White House Military Office)
Military Departments Department of the Army Secretary of the Army The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Army Assistant Secretary for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology Assistant Secretary for Civil Works Assistant Secretary (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs General Counsel of the Army The Administrative Assistant The Army Staff: Chief of Staff of the Army Vice Chief of Staff of the Army Sergeant Major of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff G-8 Chief of Chaplains Judge Advocate General Provost Marshal General Surgeon General U.S. Army field organizations: see Structure of the United States Army Department of the Navy Secretary of the Navy The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Financial Management and Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research, Development and Acquisitions) General Counsel of the Navy Judge Advocate General Naval Criminal Investigative Service Naval Inspector General Headquarters Marine Corps: Commandant of the Marine Corps Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Chaplain U.S. Marine Corps field organizations: see Organization of the United States Marine Corps Office of the Chief of Naval Operations: Chief of Naval Operations Vice Chief of Naval Operations Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Director of Naval Reactors Chief of Chaplains Chief of Naval Personnel Surgeon General United States Navy field organizations: see Structure of the United States Navy Department of the Air Force Secretary of the Air Force The Secretariat: Under Secretary of the Air Force Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Financial Management & Comptroller) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Installations, Environment & Logistics) Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Manpower & Reserve Affairs) General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force Air Force Office of Special Investigations The Air Staff: Chief of Staff of the Air Force Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Chief of Chaplains Chief of Safety Chief Scientist Judge Advocate General Surgeon General U.S. Air Force field organizations: Major Commands Direct Reporting Units Field Operating Agencies Space Staff: Chief of Space Operations United States Space Force field organizations
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman Joint Requirements Oversight Council Director of the Joint Staff Joint Staff National Military Command Center Alternate National Military Command Center National Defense University Joint Personnel Recovery Agency
Combatant Commands Africa Command Central Command European Command Northern Command Indo-Pacific Command Southern Command Space Command Cyber Command Special Operations Command Strategic Command Transportation Command
National Guard Bureau Chief of the National Guard Bureau Air National Guard Army National Guard
Office of the Inspector General Defense Criminal Investigative Service

• Lists of members of the Cabinet of the United States
• United States Secretaries of the Army