Joe Biden nominated the first female Army Secretary on Monday.
If confirmed, Christine Wormuth, the director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at the RAND Corp, will be the first woman in the position.
âChristine is a true patriot with a dedicated career in service to America and our nationâs security,â Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in a statement urging the Senate to confirm her. âI have no doubt that, if confirmed, she will lead our soldiers and represent their families with honor and integrity as the Secretary of the Army.â
Wormuth most recently served as the head of Bidenâs Pentagon transition team, a role she took over after Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks stepped aside to focus on her own confirmation process.
She last worked at the Pentagon during the Obama administration. From 2014 to 2016, she served as under secretary of Defense for policy, considered the departmentâs third most-powerful civilian job, a role that saw her âadvising two secretaries of Defense on the full range of foreign policy and national security issues,â the White House said.
âAs the former under secretary of Defense for policy, Christine advanced the departmentâs counter-ISIS campaign and the rebalance to Asia, and her deep expertise will be critical in addressing and deterring todayâs global threats, including the pacing challenge from China and nation-state threats emanating from Russia, Iran and North Korea,â Austin said in his statement.