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United States Secretary of the Army

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Not to be confused with Chief of Staff of the United States Army.

United States Secretary of the Army
Seal of the U.S. Department of the Army
Flag of the secretary[1]
since May 28, 2021
United States Department of the Army
StyleMadam Secretary
Reports toUnited States Secretary of Defense
AppointerPresident of the United States
with Senate advice and consent
Term lengthNo fixed term
PrecursorSecretary of War
FormationSeptember 18, 1947
First holderKenneth Claiborne Royall
Succession2nd in SecDef succession
DeputyUnder Secretary of the Army
Chief of Staff of the Army
SalaryExecutive Schedule, Level II
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata

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.[2] 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.[3]

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.[4]

Roles and responsibilities

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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.[5]

Office of the Secretary of the Army

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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.[6]

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).

Chart showing the organization of the Office of the Secretary of Army and its relationship to the Army Staff.

Chronological list of secretaries of the Army

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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.[3][7]

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.

No. Image Name Term of office President(s) served under
1 Kenneth Claiborne Royall September 18, 1947 – April 27, 1949 Harry S. Truman
2 Gordon Gray[8] April 28, 1949 – April 12, 1950
3 Frank Pace April 12, 1950 – January 20, 1953
– Earl D. Johnson
Acting[8] 		January 20, 1953 – February 4, 1953 Dwight D. Eisenhower
4 Robert T. Stevens February 4, 1953 – July 21, 1955
5 Wilber M. Brucker July 21, 1955 – January 19, 1961
6 Elvis Jacob Stahr Jr. January 24, 1961 – June 30, 1962 John F. Kennedy
7 Cyrus Roberts Vance July 5, 1962 – January 21, 1964 John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
8 Stephen Ailes January 28, 1964 – July 1, 1965 Lyndon B. Johnson
9 Stanley R. Resor July 2, 1965 – June 30, 1971 Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon
10 Robert F. Froehlke July 1, 1971 – May 14, 1973 Richard Nixon
11 Howard H. Callaway May 15, 1973 – July 3, 1975 Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
– Norman R. Augustine
Acting[8] 		July 3, 1975 – August 5, 1975 Gerald Ford
12 Martin R. Hoffmann August 5, 1975 – January 20, 1977
13 Clifford Alexander Jr. February 14, 1977 – January 20, 1981 Jimmy Carter
14 Percy A. Pierre
Acting[8] 		January 21, 1981 – January 29, 1981 Ronald Reagan
15 John O. Marsh Jr. January 30, 1981 – August 14, 1989 Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush
16 Michael P. W. Stone August 14, 1989 – January 20, 1993 George H. W. Bush
– John W. Shannon
Acting[9] 		January 20, 1993 – August 26, 1993 Bill Clinton
– Gordon R. Sullivan
Acting[10][11] 		August 28, 1993 – November 21, 1993
17 Togo D. West Jr. November 22, 1993 – May 4, 1997
– Robert M. Walker
Acting[8] 		December 2, 1997 – July 1, 1998
18 Louis Caldera July 2, 1998 – January 20, 2001
– Gregory R. Dahlberg
Acting 		January 20, 2001 – March 4, 2001 George W. Bush
– Joseph W. Westphal
Acting[8] 		March 5, 2001 – May 31, 2001
19 Thomas E. White May 31, 2001 – May 9, 2003
– Les Brownlee
Acting 		May 10, 2003 – November 18, 2004
20 Francis J. Harvey November 19, 2004 – March 9, 2007
21 Pete Geren March 9, 2007 – September 21, 2009 George W. Bush, Barack Obama
22 John M. McHugh September 21, 2009 – November 1, 2015 Barack Obama
– Eric Fanning
Acting 		November 3, 2015 – January 11, 2016
– Patrick Murphy
Acting 		January 11, 2016 – May 17, 2016
23 Eric Fanning May 17, 2016 – January 20, 2017
– Robert Speer
Acting 		January 20, 2017 – August 2, 2017 Donald Trump
– Ryan D. McCarthy
Acting 		August 2, 2017 – November 20, 2017
24 Mark Esper November 20, 2017 – July 23, 2019[12]
– Ryan D. McCarthy
Acting 		June 24, 2019 – July 15, 2019
25 Ryan D. McCarthy July 23, 2019 – January 20, 2021
Acting: July 23, 2019 – September 30, 2019
– John E. Whitley
Acting 		January 20, 2021 – May 28, 2021 Joe Biden
26 Christine Wormuth May 28, 2021 – present

References

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  1. ^ Archived 2010-06-07 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "10 U.S. Code § 7013 - Secretary of the Army". Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^
  10. ^ The Daily Sentinel (Ohio/West Virginia), Acting Army Chief Ticketed for Shoplifting, August 29, 1993
  11. ^ U.S. Organization Chart Service, Department of Defense Fact Book, 2006, page 17
  12. ^ 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.
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