On Tuesday, Eric Fanning was confirmed by the Senate to be secretary of the Army, becoming the first openly gay leader of a U.S. military service.
Fanning has served as the Army secretary's principal adviser on management and operation of the service, and was undersecretary of the Air Force from April 2013 to February 2015. Fanning was nominated in September, but the vote was blocked by Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) over the Obama administration's closing of Guantanamo Bay and potential transfer of detainees to the United States. Roberts said he dropped his opposition after privately being told that detainees will not be moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
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