WASHINGTON (Army News Service, July 16, 2007) - The Honorable Pete Geren became the 20th Secretary of the Army Friday, following his nomination by President George W. Bush and confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
As Secretary of the Army, Sec. Geren has statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the U.S. Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications and financial management.
Sec. Geren is responsible for the Department of the Army's annual budget and supplemental of $170 billion. He leads a work force of more than one million active-duty and reserve-component Soldiers, 230,000 Department of the Army civilian employees and 280,000 contracted service personnel. He has stewardship over 15 million acres of land.
Caring for Soldiers and their Families has been Sec. Geren's top priority since his days serving as the 28th Under Secretary of the Army. In an opening statement during his confirmation hearing last month, he reaffirmed that commitment.
"My year as Under Secretary of the Army taught me much - my four months as Acting Secretary of the Army taught me much more," he said. "I have been inspired by the selfless service of our Soldiers, and humbled by the sacrifice of their Families."
Sec. Geren was the Under Secretary of the Army until Feb. 21, 2006. He was named Acting Secretary of the Army March 9.
Sec. Geren joined the Defense Department in September of 2001 to serve as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense with responsibilities in the areas of inter-agency initiatives, legislative affairs and special projects. He also served as Acting Secretary of the Air Force from July to November 2005.
Before joining the Defense Department, Sec. Geren was an attorney and businessman in
Fort Worth, Texas.
From 1989 until his retirement in 1997, Sec. Geren was a member of the U.S. Congress, representing the Twelfth Congressional District of Texas for four terms. He served on the Armed Services, Science & Technology and the Public Works and Transportation Committee during his tenure in the Congress.
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