Christine Wormuth

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Christine Wormuth
Christine Wormuth official portrait.jpg
25th United States Secretary of the Army
Assumed office
May 28, 2021
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byJohn E. Whitley (Acting)
11th Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
In office
June 23, 2014 – June 10, 2016
PresidentBarack Obama
Preceded byMichael D. Lumpkin (Acting)
Succeeded byBrian McKeon (Acting)
Personal details
Born (1969-04-19) April 19, 1969 (age 52)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWilliams College (BA)
University of Maryland, College Park (MPP)
Signature

Christine Elizabeth Wormuth[1] is an American defense official and career civil servant who serves as the 25th and current United States Secretary of the Army, the first woman to serve in this position.[2] Wormuth previously served as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2014 to 2016.

Early life and education[]

Christine Elizabeth Wormuth[3] was born in the southern California community of La Jolla, north of San Diego. After growing up in College Station, Texas, she graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts with a bachelor's degree in political science before earning her master's in public policy from the University of Maryland.[4]

Career[]

Wormuth entered government service as a Presidential Management Intern in 1995. She spent the next six and half years as a civil servant in the Defense Department. Later, she worked as a government consultant and then a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Before she was nominated Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Wormuth served in the National Security Council as the Special Assistant to the President and the Defense Policy and Strategy Senior Director.[5] From 2009 to 2010, Wormuth was the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense.

Obama administration[]

Wormuth was nominated by president Barack Obama to serve as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. On June 19, 2014, she was confirmed by the United States Senate to a voice vote.[6] As the Under Secretary, Wormuth contributed to counter-terrorism operations and engaged in defense relations with Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.[6]

Upon the conclusion of her tenure as Under Secretary, Wormuth was appointed as the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center.[7]

Biden administration[]

In November 2020, Wormuth was named a volunteer member of the Joe Biden presidential transition Agency Review Team to support transition efforts related to the United States Department of Defense.[8]

Secretary of the Army[]

On April 12, 2021, President Joe Biden nominated Wormuth to serve as the 25th Secretary of the Army.[9] She is the first woman to serve in the position for the Army, however not the first female secretary in the United States Armed Forces, as there have been several female Secretaries of the Air Force.[10][11] On April 15, 2021, her nomination was sent to the Senate.[3] On May 24, her nomination was reported out of the Senate Armed Services Committee by voice vote. Two days later, her nomination was confirmed by the Senate by unanimous consent, but Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, requested it vitiated, or rescinded, and her confirmation was subsequently reversed hours later. Schumer did not provide an immediate explanation for the action.[12] The following day, the issue was resolved and Wormuth was then officially confirmed on May 27, again by unanimous consent. She was sworn in the following day.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "PN361 — Christine Elizabeth Wormuth — Department of Defense, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". U.S. Congress. May 27, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Secretary of the Army | The United States Army". Secretary of the Army | The United States Army. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Nominations Sent to the Senate". The White House. April 15, 2021.
  4. ^ "Christine E. Wormuth > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Biography". www.defense.gov. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  5. ^ "Christine Wormuth". The Cipher Brief. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Senate Confirms Obama Nominee Christine Wormuth as DoD Policy Chief". Executive Gov. June 24, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Monica, 1776 Main Street Santa; California 90401-3208. "Christine Wormuth Appointed Director of RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center". www.rand.org. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "Agency Review Teams". President-Elect Joe Biden. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. ^ Tiron, Roxana (April 12, 2021). "Biden Picks Christine Wormuth as First Female Army Secretary". Bloomberg News. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Biden picks 1st woman to be Army secretary". www.yahoo.com.
  11. ^ "President Biden Announces His Intent to Nominate 11 Key Administration Leaders on National Security and Law Enforcement". Whitehouse Briefing Room. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  12. ^ O’brien, Connor. "Senate confirms Wormuth as first female Army secretary — for real this time". POLITICO.
Political offices
Preceded by
Ryan D. McCarthy 		United States Secretary of the Army
2021–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded by
Stacey Dixon
as Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence 		Order of precedence of the United States
as Secretary of the Army 		Succeeded by
Carlos Del Toro
as Secretary of the Navy
Retrieved from ""