Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, a strong proponent of modernization, steps down January 20 Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy attends the George C. Marshall Dinner during the Association of the United States Army s 2019 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., in October 2019 2019. (Sgt. Dana Clarke/Army)
Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy stepped down Wednesday as the new Biden administration took charge, bringing to an end the three-and-a-half years McCarthy has served as either the highest or second-highest ranking civilian within the Department of the Army. McCarthy’s tenure was marked by ambitious modernization initiatives as the Army orients away from nearly two decades of counter-insurgency conflict and toward competition with other global powers. But domestic issues, including civil unrest and the Army’s handling of missing soldiers and sexual assaults, have drawn increased scrutiny in recent months.