President Donald Trump will nominate Mark Esper as the next secretary of the Army.
A Trump administration official on Wednesday told the Washington Examiner that the White House will make the announcement sometime this week.
The Military Times confirmed that Trump will tap Esper as Army secretary, citing its own sources.
Esper, a graduate of the United States Military Academy, is currently the vice president of government relations for Raytheon, a major defense contractor. He also has worked as an aide for former Sens. Chuck Hagel (R., Neb.) and Bill Frist (R., Tenn.).
Esper retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel and did a combat tour in Iraq during the first Persian Gulf War in 1991. From 2002 to 2004, he served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for negotiations policy.
News of Esper's pending nomination comes after two other individuals already withdrew their nominations for the position before Senate confirmation hearings began.
The secretary of the Army is the military service's highest ranking civilian.