Ryan D. McCarthy was nominated by the President and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate twice within his federal career. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate, Sept. 26, 2019, and sworn in as the former 24th secretary of the U.S. Army, September 30, 2019, serving until January 2021.  He was also confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the 33rd Under Secretary of the Army, August 1, 2017. 

Prior to his confirmation as the Under Secretary of the Army, he worked for Lockheed Martin Corporation in sequential Vice President roles responsible for the sustainment, customer solutions and program integration of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program and the company’s global security policy. 

Ryan previously served as the Special Assistant to the 22nd Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, under Presidents Bush and Obama, where he advised as the Secretary’s Representative to the White House, Congress, National Security Agencies and other Foreign Governments. He also served as the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition Technology and Logistics and was responsible for policy development and coordination with the joint staff and uniformed services acquisition leaders on procurement and supply chain management policies. Prior to his Pentagon service, he served on the Staff of the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  He has also served in various roles in commercial banking.

He proudly served in the U.S. Army from 1997 to 2002 and served in combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom with the 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Special Operations Command. 

He is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and holds an MBA from the University of Maryland at College Park, Smith School of Business.