WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Joe Biden has nominated international security expert Christine Wormuth as the new Secretary of the US Army.
This the first time in the U.S. history that a female is appointed to this key post. If confirmed, she would be the first woman to hold the third most senior civilian position in the Department of Defense.
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin described her as 'a true patriot with a dedicated career in service to America and the nation's security'.
As the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Christine advanced the department's counter-ISIS campaign and the rebalance to Asia, and her deep expertise will be critical in addressing and deterring today's global threats, including the pacing challenge from China and nation-state threats emanating from Russia, Iran, and North Korea, he said in a statement.
Christine Wormuth served as Under Secretary of Defense (Policy) under President Barack Obama, advising two Secretaries of Defense on foreign policy and national security issues.
She joined the Obama Administration in 2009 as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Civil Support.
She also served as the senior director for defense policy on the National Security Council, helping shape the 2012 Defense Strategic Guidance that began re-balancing the military toward the Indo-Pacific.
Wormuth has twice received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service.
Previously, Wormuth was a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Wormuth is currently Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corporation. The 51-year-old international security expert writes and speaks about foreign policy and homeland security in the role.
She also teaches as an adjunct professor in Georgetown University, and serves on the honorary advisory board of the Leadership Committee for Women in National Security (LCWINS).
In January, Biden picked Wormuth to lead his administration's Defense Agency Review Team.
Besides Wormuth, Biden added on Monday 10 more members to his Administration to lead on national security and law enforcement at White House and across key agencies.
The President has tapped Christy Abizaid for Director of National Counterterrorism Center, Chris Inglis for National Cyber Director, Gil Cisneros for Under Secretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness, Anne Milgram for Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Susanna Blume for Director of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation, Marcela Escobari for Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean at USAID, C.S. Eliot Kang for Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation, Kenneth Polite for Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Division, Todd Robinson for Assistant Secretary of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, and Christopher Schroeder for Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel.
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