US President Barack Obama has nominated the acting undersecretary of the Army Eric Fanning to be the next Army secretary.
If confirmed by the Senate, Fanning will be the first openly gay person to lead a branch of the US military services, Xinhua news agency reported.
"Eric brings many years of proven experience and exceptional leadership to this new role.
I look forward to working with Eric to keep our Army the very best in the world," Obama said in a statement.
Fanning's nomination is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Obama administration to advance the rights of community throughout the federal government.