Obama nominates openly gay US Army secretary

Fanning brings “a depth of experience and tremendous dedication”, Obama said of Fanning and a number of other appointees in a statement on Friday.

Fanning has occupied several senior positions in the Pentagon, including Army undersecretary and acting secretary of the Air Force.

Mike Huckabee said Saturday that President Barack Obama’s decision to nominate a gay man to lead the Army was made so he could appease “America’s homosexuals”.

As secretary, he would head the Army in partnership with Gen. Mark Milley, named the branch’s top general last month.

“Eric is taking over at a critical time for the Army”, Rudy deLeon, who was deputy secretary of Defense during Bill Clinton’s presidency, told the Post. Gays are now allowed to openly serve.

Fanning, who has never served in uniform, is expected to support efforts to build a leaner, more high-tech Army, which Carter called “the force of the future”.

Fanning now serves as the acting under secretary of the Army. “I look forward to working with Eric to keep our Army the best in the world”.

Fanning’s career in public service has included stints at the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the House Armed Services Committee.

From 2001 to 2007, he worked for a group called Business Executives for National Security, then became deputy director of a commission focused on preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. His nomination to the post must still be confirmed by the US Senate.

Fanning’s nomination is the “perfect choice”, according to the advocacy group Human Rights Campaign.

The Pentagon updated its equal opportunity policy in June 2015 to bar discrimination based on sexual orientation, a change in policy which Carter announced at a gay and lesbian pride celebration. Patrick Murphy, the first Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, is awaiting Senate confirmation to be the service’s next undersecretary.