Obama Picks Republican to be Army Secretary

President Obama picked Republican Congressman John McHugh to be the next Secretary of the Army. "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," Obama said.

McHugh is a nine-term member of the House serving upstate New York, and Fort Drum in his hometown of Watertown is the home of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. He is also the ranking Republican Member of the House Armed Services Committee.

The President praised McHugh for being "committed to keeping America’s Army the best-trained, the best-equipped, the best-led land force the world has ever seen."

McHugh expressed his gratitude by saying, "The Army has always had a special place in my heart. And, Mr. President, that's why I so deeply appreciate this nomination."

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