Christine Wormuth
Secretary of the Army
Christine Elizabeth Wormuth was born in April 1969 in San Diego, California. She earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Williams College in Massachusetts and received a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Maryland.
She entered government service as a Presidential Management Intern in President Clinton’s administration, spending the next six and a half years as a civil servant in the Defense Department. Later, she worked as a government consultant and then as a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
During President Obama’s administration, she served in the National Security Council as the Special Assistant to the President and the Defense Policy and Strategy Senior director. She became the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Homeland Defense. President Obama nominated her to serve as the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. She was confirmed by the Senate in a voice vote. At the conclusion of her tenure, she was appointed the director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center.
President Joe Biden nominated Wormuth to serve as the Secretary of the Army, the first woman to hold that position. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate and assumed her position on May 28, 2021.
In the News…
“The Army is in a moment of transition,” Army Secretary Christine Wormuth stated. “There are new capabilities that we need to bring into force.”
The Army is facing recruitment problems and a shift in focus from counterterrorism in the Middle East to the threat posed by China. The service branch reportedly plans to cut back about 3,000 troops, nearly 10 percent, from its special operations forces, possibly including some from Green Beret commando units.
The special operations command also includes Navy SEALs, forces from the Marines, and Air Force special operators. Cutbacks could be overturned by Congress.
