US President Barack Obama has nominated the acting undersecretary of the Army Eric Fanning to be the next Army secretary, a media report said on Saturday.

If confirmed by the Senate, Fanning will be the first openly gay person to lead a branch of the US military services, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Eric brings many years of proven experience and exceptional leadership to this new role," Obama said in a statement. 

"I look forward to working with Eric to keep our Army the very best in the world."

Fanning's nomination is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Obama administration to advance the rights of community throughout the federal government.

With IANS