WASHINGTON – Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate United States Congressman John M. McHugh as Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense.

President Obama said, "Today, I am proud to announce John McHugh as the next Secretary of the Army. John is a distinguished public servant who will help keep us safe and keep our sacred trust with our soldiers and their families. He is committed to keeping America’s Army the best-trained, the best-equipped, the best-led land force the world has ever seen. As Secretary of the Army, he will ensure that our soldiers are trained and equipped to meet the full spectrum of challenges and threats of our time. And John shares my belief that a sustainable national security strategy must include a bipartisan consensus at home, and he brings patriotism and a pragmatism that has won him respect on both sides of the aisle. I look forward to working with him in the months and years ahead."

John M. McHugh (R-NY) is a nine-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In the House, Congressman McHugh has been a leader in the Country's national defense policy. Congressman McHugh is the Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and previously served as the Ranking Member of the Committee's Subcommittee on Military Personnel. For the past 14 years, he has been the Co-Chair of the House of Representatives Army Caucus. During the 109th and 110th Congress, Congressman McHugh also served as a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Congressman McHugh also served for sixteen years as a Member of the Board of Visitors of the United States Military Academy at West Point, including one term as Chair. Congressman McHugh began his public service career in 1971 in his hometown of Watertown, NY. In 1984, Congressman McHugh was elected to the first of four terms in the New York legislature's upper house before coming to Congress. Born on September 29, 1948, Congressman McHugh was educated in Watertown public schools, graduating in 1966. He received a B.A. in Political Science from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1970, and earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the State University's Nelson A. Rockefeller Graduate School of Public Affairs in 1977.