United States Secretary of the Army

Secretary of the Army SECARMY
Flag of the Secretary of the Army
Incumbent John M. McHugh since 21 September 2009
Style	The Honorable
Inaugural holder	Kenneth Claiborne Royall
Formation	18 September 1947
Deputy	Under Secretary of the Army
Salary	Executive Schedule Level II
Website	Official Website

The Secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a civilian official within the Department of Defense of the United States of America 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 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the Secretary of the Army is a non-Cabinet position serving under the Secretary of Defense.^[1] This position was created on September 18, 1947, replacing the Secretary of War, when the Department of War became the Department of the Army and was made a department within the new Department of Defense.^[2]

The Senior Leadership of the United States Army consists of two civilians - the Secretary of the Army and the Under Secretary of the Army - and two military officers - the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

Responsibilities

The Secretary of the Army (SECARM) 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 of the Army. 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 courts-martial.

Another responsibility of the Secretary of the Army is the management of the Civilian Aides to the Secretary of the Army Program.^[3]

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 of the Army, the General Counsel of the Department of the Army, the Inspector General of the Army, the Chief of Legislative Liaison, and the Army Reserve Forces Policy Committee. Other offices may be established by law or by the Secretary of the Army. No more than 1,865 officers of the Army 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.^[4]

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 and was the last Army secretary to hold the cabinet status, which was henceforth assigned to the Secretary of Defense.^[2][5] The current Secretary of the Army, John M. McHugh, took office on September 21, 2009.

Photo	Name	Term of Office	President(s) served under
	Kenneth Claiborne Royall	September 18, 1947 – April 27, 1949	Harry S. Truman
	Gordon Gray[6]	April 28, 1949 – April 12, 1950	Harry S. Truman
	Frank Pace	April 12, 1950 – January 20, 1953	Harry S. Truman
	Earl D. Johnson (acting)[6]	January 20, 1953 – February 4, 1953	Dwight D. Eisenhower
	Robert Ten Broeck Stevens	February 4, 1953 – July 21, 1955	Dwight D. Eisenhower
	Wilber Marion Brucker	July 21, 1955 – January 19, 1961	Dwight D. Eisenhower
	Elvis Jacob Stahr, Jr.	January 24, 1961 – June 30, 1962	John F. Kennedy
	Cyrus Roberts Vance	July 5, 1962 – January 21, 1964	John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson
	Stephen Ailes	January 28, 1964 – July 1, 1965	Lyndon B. Johnson
	Stanley R. Resor	July 2, 1965 – June 30, 1971	Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon
	Robert F. Froehlke	July 1, 1971 – May 14, 1973	Richard Nixon
	Howard H. Callaway	May 15, 1973 – July 3, 1975	Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford
	Norman R. Augustine (acting)[6]	July 3, 1975 – August 5, 1975	Gerald Ford
	Martin R. Hoffmann	August 5, 1975 – January 20, 1977	Gerald Ford
	Clifford L. Alexander, Jr.	February 14, 1977 – January 20, 1981	Jimmy Carter
	Percy A. Pierre (acting)[6]	January 21, 1981 – January 29, 1981	Jimmy Carter
	John O. Marsh, Jr.	January 30, 1981 – August 14, 1989	Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush
	Michael P. W. Stone	August 14, 1989 – January 20, 1993	George H. W. Bush
	John W. Shannon (acting)[7]	January 20, 1993 – August 26, 1993	Bill Clinton
	Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan (acting)[dubious – discuss]	August 28, 1993 – November 21, 1993	Bill Clinton
	Togo D. West, Jr.	November 22, 1993 – May 4, 1997	Bill Clinton
	Robert M. Walker (acting)[6]	December 2, 1997 – July 1, 1998	Bill Clinton
	Louis Caldera	July 2, 1998 – January 20, 2001	Bill Clinton
	Gregory R. Dahlberg (acting)	January 20, 2001 – March 4, 2001	George W. Bush
	Joseph W. Westphal (acting)[6]	March 5, 2001 – May 31, 2001	George W. Bush
	Thomas E. White	May 31, 2001 – May 9, 2003	George W. Bush
	Les Brownlee (acting)	May 10, 2003 – November 18, 2004	George W. Bush
	Francis J. Harvey	November 19, 2004 – March 9, 2007	George W. Bush
	Pete Geren	March 9, 2007 – September 21, 2009	George W. Bush, Barack Obama
	John M. McHugh	September 21, 2009 – Present	Barack Obama

References

Notes