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 Daniel P. Driscoll since February 25, 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 (often called SECARMY) is a very important civilian leader. This person works for the United States Department of Defense. They are in charge of almost everything related to the United States Army. This includes people, equipment, money, and military bases.

The President of the United States chooses who will be the Secretary of the Army. Then, the United States Senate must agree with the President's choice. The Secretary of the Army works under the Secretary of Defense. This job was created on September 18, 1947. It replaced the old Secretary of War position. This happened when the Department of War was divided. It became the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.

Daniel P. Driscoll became the Secretary of the Army on February 25, 2025. He was sworn into office on that same day.

What the Secretary of the Army Does

The Army's top leaders include two civilians and two military officers. The civilians are the Secretary of the Army and the Under Secretary of the Army. The military officers are the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Vice Chief of Staff.

The Secretary of the Army is like the main boss of the Department of the Army. The Chief of Staff of the Army works directly for the Secretary. The Secretary explains the Army's plans and budgets to other leaders. This includes the Secretary of Defense and the Congress. They also tell the public about the Army's work and achievements.

The Secretary holds meetings with other Army leaders. They discuss important issues and make decisions. The Secretary is also part of the Defense Acquisition Board. This group helps decide what new equipment the military will buy.

The Secretary of the Army also has duties under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. This includes the power to start serious military court cases.

Offices Supporting the Secretary

The Office of the Secretary of the Army has many different parts. It includes the Under Secretary of the Army and several Assistant Secretaries. It also has other important roles. These include the administrative assistant and the general counsel. The inspector general and the chief of legislation are also part of this office.

Here are some of the key offices:

• Under Secretary of the Army
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology) (in charge of buying new gear)
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) (handles projects like dams and waterways)
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) (manages the Army's money)
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment) (looks after Army bases and environmental issues)
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) (deals with Army personnel and reserve forces)
  • General Counsel of the Army (the Army's top lawyer)
  • Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army (helps with daily operations)
  • Inspector General of the Army (checks for efficiency and honesty)

Each civilian leader in these offices works closely with a military officer. For example, the Assistant Secretary for Manpower and Reserve Affairs works with the Army G-1.

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

History of Secretaries of the Army

Kenneth Claiborne Royall was the last Secretary of War. He became the first Secretary of the Army in 1947. This happened when the National Defense Act of 1947 took effect. Gordon Gray was the last Army Secretary who was also part of the President's Cabinet. After him, only the Secretary of Defense held Cabinet status.

It is not required for a Secretary of the Army to have served in the military. However, many have been part of the United States armed forces. Secretary Stone (1989-1993) is the only one who served in a military outside 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