Openly gay man nominated by Obama for secretary of Army 	 A picture made available on the flickr website of the US Defence Secretary Ash Carter photostream of US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter ( L - R ) , Secretary of the Army John McHugh , and Chief of Staff of the Department of Defense Eric Fanning rendering honors at the LGBT Pride Month ceremony in the Pentagon Auditorium in Washington , DC , USA , 09 June 2015 . US President Barack Obama on 18 September 2015 nominated openly gay Eric Fanning to become the next secretary of the Army . If confirmed by the Senate , he will become the first openly gay civilian to lead a branch of the US military . EPA / CLYDELL KINCHEN / HANDOUT BEST QUALITY AVAILABLE EDITORIAL USE ONLY ▶ [ 현장 영상 ] 개 의 , 개 에 의한 , 개 를 위한 영국 ' 강아지 패션쇼 '▶ [ 오늘 의 핫 화보 ] ' 벌 에 쏘이 면 가장 아픈 곳 은 ? 포유 류 소변 시간 은 ? '… 엉뚱 연구 수상식 < 저작권자 ( c ) 연합뉴스 , 무단 전재 - 재 배포 금지 >