ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

Preventing harmful behaviors among soldiers, particularly sexual assault and harassment, is one of the most “significant challenges” Army leaders must tackle, said Gabe Camarillo, the nominee to be the next Army undersecretary.

Camarillo, an attorney who has served in various positions in DoD, said that if he’s confirmed for the job, “my highest priorities will be to provide even greater emphasis” on those efforts. This includes building a command climate founded on mutual respect and dignity, he said.

Gabe Camarillo, an attorney who has served in various positions in DoD, is President Joe Biden’s nominee to serve as undersecretary of the Army, the White House announced July 13.

If confirmed by the Senate, Camarillo would be the 35th Army undersecretary, succeeding James McPherson. Christopher Lowman is currently the senior official performing the duties of the Army undersecretary, filling the job since January.

A webinar on June 17 will feature Army Undersecretary James McPherson and Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Martin discussing diversity and race relations.

The program, which starts at noon Eastern, will be prerecorded and hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army. Retired Gen. Carter Ham, AUSA president and CEO, will provide opening remarks.

Because the event is prerecorded, any viewer questions submitted online during the webinar will be sent to the appropriate Army office or department.

James McPherson, a retired Navy judge advocate who began his military career as an enlisted soldier, has moved one step closer to becoming Army undersecretary.

Appointed Army general counsel in 2018, McPherson has been designated since July as the senior official performing the duties of Army undersecretary. On Feb. 13, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to confirm him for permanent appointment as the Army’s No. 2 civilian leader. His nomination now goes to the full Senate for action.

The Army is getting “tremendous results” from its new recruiting campaign on social media and is on track to meet its recruiting goal for this fiscal year, a senior Army official told a Senate panel Jan. 16.

In remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee considering his nomination to become the undersecretary of the Army, James McPherson explained that Army marketing has shifted its spending from television ads to social media in an effort to reach the 18- to 22-year-olds who spend most of their time there.

James McPherson, who has been performing the duties of the Army undersecretary since July, will be formally nominated for the permanent job, the White House announced Dec. 5.

McPherson most recently was the Army’s general counsel and chief lawyer, serving in that position since January 2018. He also has served as the general counsel of the Department of Defense Counterintelligence Field Activity, according to the White House announcement.

If confirmed by the Senate, McPherson would fill a vacancy created when Ryan McCarthy was sworn in as Army secretary in September.

Undersecretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy, opening speaker at the AUSA Global Force Symposium and Exposition in Huntsville, Ala., said the Army has been making tough choices for the future and has more difficult decisions ahead.

“These are exciting times in the Army, and we are going to need all of the help we can get,” McCarthy said.

An Army budget drill that identified $30 billion in savings was partly about finding money for future modernization and partly to “do better with every dollar we have,” Undersecretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy said.

Undersecretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy didn’t sugarcoat what’s ahead for October graduates of the Army’s tough Ranger qualification course.

“You get the toughest jobs under the worst conditions,” said McCarthy, himself a Ranger, during Oct. 26 remarks at Fort Benning, Ga., as 57 enlisted soldiers and 83 officers graduated from the 62-day course. “This is an expectation for every day for the rest of your life.”