United States Secretary of the Army facts for kids

Quick facts for kids United States Secretary of the Army
Flag of the secretary
Seal of the U.S. Department of the Army
Incumbent Mark Averill since January 20, 2025
United States Department of the Army
Style	Mr. 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

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 January 20, 2025, Mark Averill was appointed Acting Secretary.

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).

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

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.

No.	Image	Name	Start	End	President(s)
1		Royall, Kenneth ClaiborneKenneth Claiborne Royall	September 18, 1947	April 27, 1949		Truman, Harry S.Harry S. Truman (1945–1953)
2		Gray, GordonGordon Gray	April 28, 1949	April 12, 1950
3		Pace, FrankFrank Pace	April 12, 1950	January 20, 1953
–		Johnson, Earl D.Earl D. Johnson Acting	January 20, 1953	February 4, 1953		Eisenhower, Dwight D.Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953–1961)
4		Stevens, Robert T.Robert T. Stevens	February 4, 1953	July 21, 1955
5		Brucker, Wilber M.Wilber M. Brucker	July 21, 1955	January 19, 1961
6		Stahr Jr., Elvis JacobElvis Jacob Stahr Jr.	January 24, 1961	June 30, 1962		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
7		Vance, CyrusCyrus Vance	July 5, 1962	January 21, 1964
						Johnson, Lyndon B.Lyndon B. Johnson (1963–1969)
8		Ailes, StephenStephen Ailes	January 28, 1964	July 1, 1965
9		Resor, StanleyStanley Resor	July 2, 1965	June 30, 1971
						Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
10		Froehlke, RobertRobert Froehlke	July 1, 1971	May 14, 1973
11		Callaway, BoBo Callaway	May 15, 1973	July 3, 1975
						Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
–		Augustine, Norman R.Norman R. Augustine Acting	July 3, 1975	August 5, 1975
12		Hoffmann, MartinMartin Hoffmann	August 5, 1975	January 20, 1977
13		Alexander Jr., CliffordClifford Alexander Jr.	February 14, 1977	January 20, 1981		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
–		Pierre, Percy A.Percy A. Pierre Acting	January 21, 1981	January 29, 1981		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
14		Marsh, JohnJohn Marsh	January 30, 1981	August 14, 1989
						Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
15		Stone, Michael P. W.Michael P. W. Stone	August 14, 1989	January 20, 1993
–		Shannon, John W.John W. Shannon Acting	January 20, 1993	August 26, 1993		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
–		Sullivan, Gordon R.Gordon R. Sullivan Acting	August 28, 1993	November 21, 1993
16		West Jr., Togo D.Togo D. West Jr.	November 22, 1993	May 4, 1997
–		Walker, Robert M.Robert M. Walker Acting	December 2, 1997	July 1, 1998
17		Caldera, LouisLouis Caldera	July 2, 1998	January 20, 2001
–		Dahlberg, Gregory R.Gregory R. Dahlberg Acting	January 20, 2001	March 4, 2001		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
–		Westphal, Joseph W.Joseph W. Westphal Acting	March 5, 2001	May 31, 2001
18		White, Thomas E.Thomas E. White	May 31, 2001	May 9, 2003
–		Brownlee, LesLes Brownlee Acting	May 10, 2003	November 18, 2004
19		Harvey, Francis J.Francis J. Harvey	November 19, 2004	March 9, 2007
20		Geren, PetePete Geren	March 9, 2007	September 21, 2009
						Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
21		McHugh, John M.John M. McHugh	September 21, 2009	November 1, 2015
–		Fanning, EricEric Fanning Acting	November 3, 2015	January 11, 2016
–		Murphy, PatrickPatrick Murphy Acting	January 11, 2016	May 17, 2016
22		Fanning, EricEric Fanning	May 17, 2016	January 20, 2017
–		Speer, RobertRobert Speer Acting	January 20, 2017	August 2, 2017		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
–		McCarthy, Ryan D.Ryan D. McCarthy Acting	August 2, 2017	November 20, 2017
23		Esper, MarkMark Esper	November 20, 2017 On leave: June 24, 2019 – July 15, 2019	July 23, 2019
–		McCarthy, Ryan D.Ryan D. McCarthy Acting	June 24, 2019	July 15, 2019
24		McCarthy, Ryan D.Ryan D. McCarthy	July 23, 2019	September 30, 2019
			September 30, 2019	January 20, 2021
–		Whitley, John E.John E. Whitley Acting	January 20, 2021	May 28, 2021		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
25		Wormuth, ChristineChristine Wormuth	May 28, 2021	January 20, 2025
–		Averill, MarkMark Averill Acting	January 20, 2025	Incumbent		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)

See also

In Spanish: Secretario del Ejército de los Estados Unidos para niños