Trump nominates former Army Captain as General Counsel of the Army

President Donald Trump has nominated Ryan Dean Newman of Virginia to serve as General Counsel of the Department of the Army.

The Army general counsel is the chief lawyer for the Army, overseeing the department’s position on any legal issue.  The Army general counsel provides legal counsel to the Army secretary, undersecretary, five assistant secretaries and other members of the Army Secretariat.

A former Army Captain, Mr. Newman deployed to Iraq in 2003 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service.

Mr. Newman is currently the acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. He previously served as Chief Counsel to U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito, Judge J.L. Edmondson, of the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, and Judge Richard J. Leon, of the District Court for the District of Columbia.

He has also worked as a lawyer at Jones Day. Mr. Newman holds a BS degree from West Point and a JD degree with high honors from the University of Texas School of Law.

Newman is required to be confirmed by the Senate to hold the position.