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 (often called SA or SECARMY) is a very important civilian leader in the United States Department of Defense. This person is in charge of almost everything related to the United States Army. This includes things like finding people to join, managing soldiers, taking care of Army bases, protecting the environment, buying new weapons, managing communications, and handling money.

The President of the United States chooses who will be the Secretary of the Army. Then, the United States Senate must approve the choice. The Secretary of the Army works under the Secretary of Defense. This job started on September 18, 1947. It replaced the old "Secretary of War" role. This happened when the Department of War was split into the Department of the Army and the Department of the Air Force.

As of January 20, 2025, Mark Averill is the Acting Secretary of the Army.

What Does the Secretary of the Army Do?

The top leaders of the Army 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. These military officers have four stars, which is a very high rank.

The Secretary of the Army is like the main boss or chief executive officer of the Department of the Army. The Chief of Staff of the Army works directly for the Secretary. The Secretary explains and defends the Army's plans, programs, and budgets to the Secretary of Defense and the Congress. They also tell the public about the Army's goals and achievements. The Secretary often meets with other Army leaders to discuss important issues and make decisions. They are also part of the Defense Acquisition Board, which helps decide what equipment the military buys.

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 called general courts-martial.

The Office of the Secretary of the Army

The Office of the Secretary of the Army is made up of several important people and groups. These include the Under Secretary of the Army and several Assistant Secretaries. There is also an administrative assistant, a general counsel (a top lawyer), and an inspector general. Other offices can be created by law or by the Secretary of the Army.

Here are some of the key roles within the office:

• Under Secretary of the Army
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology) - This person helps buy new equipment and manage supplies.
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works) - This role deals with Army projects that help civilians, like managing rivers and harbors.
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Financial Management and Comptroller) - This person handles the Army's money and budget.
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Installations, Energy and Environment) - This role manages Army bases, energy use, and environmental protection.
  • Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs) - This person focuses on soldiers, their training, and the Army Reserve.
  • General Counsel of the Army - This is the Army's chief legal advisor.
  • Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army - This person helps manage the daily operations of the office.
  • Inspector General of the Army - This role checks to make sure the Army is following rules and being efficient.

Each civilian leader in the Secretary's office often works closely with a military leader who has similar duties. For example, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs works with the Army G-1, who handles personnel matters.

Chart showing how the Office of the Secretary of Army is organized and how it works with the Army Staff.

A Look at Past Secretaries of the Army

Kenneth Claiborne Royall was the last person to be called the "Secretary of War." He then became the very first Secretary of the Army when a new law, the National Defense Act of 1947, came into effect. Gordon Gray was the last Army Secretary who was also part of the President's Cabinet. After him, the Secretary of Defense became the Cabinet member.

It's not a rule that the Secretary of the Army must have served in the military. However, many past Secretaries have been in the United States armed forces. Secretary Stone (who served from 1989 to 1993) is the only one who served in a 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)

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