Biden to nominate the first woman to serve as Army Secretary

President Biden will nominate Christine Wormuth to be the Secretary of the Army, the first woman to serve in that position. Wormuth’s name was on a list of nominations announced by the White House on Monday.

“Defending our nation from enemies foreign and domestic requires a deeply experienced and capable team grounded in a commitment to our nation’s ideals and a keen understanding of the sweeping challenges facing our arm forces today,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Monday in a statement. “The President’s nominations today will help us build that team.”

Wormuth previously served in the National Security Council and then as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Obama administration.

Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who is the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, applauded the nomination in a statement.

Defense Undersecretary for Policy Christine Wormuth testifies at the House Armed Services Full Committee hearing on “The President’s Proposed Authorization for Use of Military Force Against ISIL and U.S. Policy, Strategy, and Posture in the Greater Middle East” in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2015 in Washington, D.C.

Gabriella Demczuk / Getty Images

“This is a historic nomination,” Reed said. “Christine Wormuth has dedicated her distinguished career to public service and safeguarding the nation. She brings experience, expertise, and strategic vision to this new role, having served in senior level positions throughout the Department of Defense and the NSC.”

The other Defense Department nominees the White House announced Tuesday include Gil Cisneros to be Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness and Susana Blume for Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation.