The U.S Senate on Thursday confirmed
Eric Fanning, an openly gay man, as Air Force under secretary.
President Barack Obama nominated
Fanning for the second-highest ranking civilian position in the Air
Force on August 1, 2012. The Senate confirmed Fanning, along with
other military nominees, by voice vote, gay weekly the Washington
Blade reported.
Fanning previously served as the deputy
under secretary and deputy chief management officer for the
Department of the Navy.
“I have been immensely proud to serve
these last four years with the men and women of the Navy and Marine
Corps, and if confirmed, I very much look forward to becoming a part
of the Air Force family,” Fanning said. “It would be my honor to
play a role in making sure that the best men and women our country
has to offer get all the support they need in undertaking the mission
of defending our country, a mission for which they freely
volunteered.”
Fanning's career in public service has
included stints at the White House, the Office of the Secretary of
Defense and the House Armed Services Committee. He's also a former
board member of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which works to
elect openly LGBT candidates.