Ryan D. McCarthy

The Honorable Ryan D. McCarthy served as the 24th Secretary of the United States Army from September 2019 to January 20, 2021, following his unanimous confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Prior to that, he was unanimously confirmed and appointed as the 33rd Under Secretary of the Army in August 2017. In both roles, he provided strategic leadership during a critical period of modernization, readiness transformation, and global operations for the Army.

Before his appointment to senior civilian leadership in the Department of the Army, Mr. McCarthy held several executive roles at Lockheed Martin Corporation, where he was responsible for sustainment, customer solutions, and program integration of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, one of the most advanced and complex defense platforms in history.

Earlier in his career, he served as a Special Assistant to the 22nd Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates, under both Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, contributing to policy and operational decisions at the highest levels of the Pentagon.

Mr. McCarthy is a U.S. Army veteran, having served from 1997 to 2002. He deployed in combat during the initial invasion of Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a member of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army Special Operations Command. His distinguished military service was later recognized with his induction into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame (Class of 2019), and he is also an honorary graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1996.

A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, Mr. McCarthy holds a Master of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, where he continues to contribute as a member of the Board of Advisors. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for CACI International, OneWeb Technologies, and Tomahawk Robotics, Inc., and acts as a Special Advisor and Venture Partner at Scout Ventures. Additionally, he is the Dean’s Scholar in Residence at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

Mr. McCarthy remains a respected leader in defense, innovation, and national security policy, with a continued commitment to public service, military advancement, and strategic innovation.