The assistant secretary of the army (manpower and reserve affairs), abbreviated as ASA (M&RA), is a civilian official in the United States Department of the Army.
U.S. law provides that there shall be five assistant secretaries of the Army appointed from civilian life by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.10 U.S.C. § 3016(a) The assistant secretary of the Army for manpower and reserve affairs has as his principal duty the overall supervision of manpower and reserve component affairs of the Department of the Army.10 U.S.C. § 3016(b) Pursuant to United States Army General Order No. 3, the assistant secretary of the Army (manpower and reserve affairs) supervises army strategy, policy, programs, and compliance related to functions such as recruiting, readiness and mobilization, civilian and military manpower, medical and health affairs, family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation, the review of soldier records, force structure policy, manpower analysis, the army-wide equal employment opportunity program and critical matters pertaining to reserve affairs.Website of the OASA(MRA)
The office can be traced to 1950, when United States secretary of the Army Gordon Gray decided to centralize manpower issues for civil, military, and reserve personnel under one individual, with the position being elevated to Assistant Secretary when manpower issues proved to be a problem during the course of the Korean War.History of ASA(M&RA) from website The office was then abolished in 1961, with its duties transferred to the Office of the Under Secretary of the Army, but then re-established - this time by statute - in 1968.
List of assistant secretaries PictureNameAssumed officeLeft officePresident appointed bySecretary served underWilliam K. BrehmRobert K. Griffith, Jr., The U.S. Army's Transition to the All-Volunteer Force, 1968-1974 (Center of Military History, 1997), p. 4419681969Lyndon B. JohnsonStanley Rogers ResorDonald G. Brotzman19751977Gerald R. FordMartin R. HoffmanRobert Nelson (acting)January 20, 1981June 1981Ronald ReaganJohn Otho Marsh, Jr.Harry N. WaltersSecure Symbology ProfileJune 1981January 5, 1983Ronald ReaganJohn Otho Marsh, Jr.Delbert Spurlock"Wounded Vets on Government Agenda?", NPR, Dec. 21, 200719831989Ronald ReaganJohn Otho Marsh, Jr.G. Kim Wincup1989May 1992George H. W. BushMichael P. W. StoneRobert S. SilbermanNomination of Robert S. Silberman To Be an Assistant Secretary of the Army, June 15, 19921992January 20, 1993George H. W. BushMichael P. W. StoneSara E. ListerJune 10, 1994November 15, 1997Sam Fulwood III and Paul Richter, "Army's Top Woman Quits Position Under Heavy Fire", L.A. Times, Nov. 15, 1997Bill ClintonTogo D. West, Jr.Patrick T. HenryJune 10, 1998January 20, 2001Bill ClintonLouis CalderaReginald J. BrownAugust 3, 2001January 20, 2005George W. BushThomas E. White, Francis J. HarveyRonald J. JamesProfile of James from Dept. of the Army October 1, 2006January 20, 2009See April 2009 Memo from James George W. BushFrancis J. Harvey, Pete GerenThomas R. LamontProfile of Lamont from Dept. of the Army June 22, 2009September 30, 2013Barack ObamaPete Geren, John M. McHughDebra S. WadaOctober 2, 2014January 20, 2017Barack ObamaJohn M. McHugh, Eric FanningCasey WardynskiJanuary 16, 2019January 20, 2021Donald TrumpMark EsperRyan D. McCarthyYvette K. Bourcicot (acting)January 10, 2022December 22, 2022Joe BidenChristine WormuthAgnes Gereben SchaeferDecember 23, 2022January 20, 2025Joe BidenChristine WormuthMark R. Lewis (acting)January 20, 2025February 25, 2025Donald TrumpMark Averill (acting) Julie A. Banks (acting) February 25, 2025April 9, 2025Daniel P. DriscollDerrick Anderson (acting) April 9, 2025December 29, 2025Christopher M. Sims (acting)January 8, 2026May 20, 2026Jules W. Hurst IIIMay 20, 2026August 12, 2026James Byrn (acting)August 12, 2026PresentDaniel P. DriscollAdam Telle (acting)
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