Trump announces Sen. Mark Green as Army Secretary

President Donald Trump formally announced his intention to nominate state Sen. Mark Green as U.S. Secretary of the Army on Friday in a White House news release that also covered nominations to five other federal government positions.

Green is expected to resign from the Senate when the nomination is confirmed and the new job will also end his planned run for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, announced in January. The pending presidential nomination had been widely but unofficially reported earlier.

Here’s the portion of the White House release dealing with Green:

Mark E. Green of Tennessee to be Secretary of the Army.

Dr. Mark Green currently serves as Tennessee State Senator for District 22.  He is the Chaplain of the Senate GOP Caucus and was selected as the Tennessee Journal’s Rookie of the year in 2013.  Dr. Green is the CEO of Align MD, an emergency department staffing company, which provides leadership and staffing to emergency departments and hospitalist services in forty-seven hospitals in nine states.  In 1986, Second Lieutenant Green graduated from West Point with a degree in economics and began his military career as an infantry officer.  Dr. Green served as a rifle platoon leader, scout platoon leader, battalion personnel officer, a supply officer, an airborne rifle company commander in the famed 82nd Airborne Division, and commanded a recruiting company in U.S. Army Recruiting Command.  As an Army physician, Mark served in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment where he made three combat tours to the Middle East.  His military awards include the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Air Medal with “V” device for valor under heavy enemy fire, and numerous other medals for service.

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally and U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker promptly issued statements to media praising Green’s nomination. Here they are:

Lt. Gov. Randy McNally: “I would like to congratulate my friend and colleague Senator Mark Green on his nomination as Secretary of the Army.

While Tennessee is losing an excellent senator, American’s national security team is gaining a true servant leader. Mark’s experience and the qualifications for this job overlap perfectly and then some. His experience as a soldier, a senator, a business owner and a physician will make him an invaluable asset to our nation and its army. Senator Green has worked hard for his constituents, passed excellent legislation and served honorably as our Senate Republican Caucus Chaplain. I appreciate all his contributions to the success of our state and I look forward his future role in making America great again.”

Sen. Lamar Alexander: “This is a good opportunity for the rest of the country to benefit from Tennessean Mark Green’s leadership skills, military experience and dedication to service members.”

Sen. Bob Corker: “As a West Point graduate and former military officer, Mark Green is well-suited to serve our nation as Secretary of the Army,” said Corker. “He is respected in both the military and business communities, and I know the people of Tennessee State Senate District 22 have greatly valued his leadership and dedication over the past four years. Mark has a true sense of duty, and I was proud to recommend him to President Trump for this distinguished position.”