McHugh sworn in as Army secretary

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 (UPI) -- John McHugh was sworn in as the 21st secretary of the U.S. Army during a ceremony Monday at the Pentagon.

Also during the ceremony, Joseph Westphal was sworn in as undersecretary of the Army, the Department of Defense said in a news release.

Before officially becoming Army secretary McHugh resigned his seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, CQ Politics reported. McHugh, a Republican from New York, was elected to the House in 1992.

He was nominated to be Army secretary by President Barack Obama in June and confirmed by the Senate Wednesday.

As secretary, McHugh is responsible for Army matters such as manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, installations, environmental issues, weapons systems and equipment acquisition, communications and financial management.

Westphal has served in several positions in the educational, public and private sectors, the Pentagon said. He was assistant secretary of the Army for civil works 1998-2001.