Assistant Secretary of the Army is a title used to describe various civilian officials in the United States Department of the Army.
At present, there are five offices bearing the title of Assistant Secretary of the Army:
The General Counsel of the Army is equivalent in rank to the Assistant Secretaries.
The five Assistant Secretaries and the GC report to and assist the United States Secretary of the Army and the United States Under Secretary of the Army.
By law, the Assistant Secretaries "shall be appointed from civilian life by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate".[1]
The office of Assistant Secretary of the Army was established at the time of the creation of the United States Department of Defense in 1947, and assumed many of the duties previously carried out by the United States Assistant Secretary of War in the United States Department of War. In February 1950, a second office, Assistant Secretary of the Army (General Management) was added. In May 1952, Assistant Secretary of the Army Earl D. Johnson's office was renamed Assistant Secretary of the Army (Research and Materiel), making Jones the last individual to bear the stand-alone title of Assistant Secretary of the Army. In addition to the current offices bearing the title of Assistant Secretary of the Army, several individuals have held office as some type of Assistant Secretary, as shown below.[2]
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Gray | September 24, 1947 | May 24, 1948 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall |
| Tracy Voorhees | June 17, 1948 | August 21, 1949 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Gordon Gray |
| Earl D. Johnson | May 31, 1950 | May 7, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Frank Pace |
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Karl Bendetsen | February 2, 1950 | May 6, 1952 | Harry S. Truman | Frank Pace |
| Francis Shackelford | August 26, 1952 | 20 January 1953 | Harry S. Truman | Kenneth Claiborne Royall, Gordon Gray |
| Name | Assumed office | Left office | President appointed by | Secretary served under |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George H. Roderick | August 26, 1954 | February 29, 1957 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Robert T. Stevens, Wilber M. Brucker |
| Dewey Jackson Short | March 15, 1957 | November 1958 | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Wilber M. Brucker |