President-elect Donald Trump has tapped billionaire Vincent Viola, former Army infantry officer and founder of Virtu Financial to serve as the Army’s senior civilian.
Viola, who owns the Florida Panthers professional hockey team, will succeed current Army Secretary Eric Fanning if confirmed by the Senate. Trump announced Viola’s appointment Dec. 19 on his transition website.
“It is an honor to be nominated to serve our country as President-elect Trump’s Secretary of the Army,” Viola said in a statement. “If confirmed, I will work tirelessly to provide our president with the land force he will need to accomplish any mission in support of his national defense strategy. A primary focus of my leadership will be ensuring that America’s soldiers have the ways and means to fight and win across the full spectrum of conflict. This great honor comes with great responsibility, and I will fight for the American people and their right to live free every day.”
Viola sits at number 347 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, where his worth is listed at $1.76 billion.
He is a 1977 graduate of West Point and served in the 101st Airborne Division. In 1983 he graduated from the New York School of Law.
In a statement, Trump called Viola “a man of outstanding work ethic, integrity, and strategic vision, with an exceptional ability to motivate others.” Viola’s business experience, Trump says “makes him well positioned to help guide a Fortune 10-sized company, the U.S. Army, to accomplish its broad mission in the most innovative and efficient way possible.”
In the 1980s, Viola worked as a trader on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and also founded the first of many business ventures, including Pioneer Futures and the Independent Bank Group. Viola was appointed Chairman of NYMEX in March 2001. In 2008 he founded Virtu Financial, a global leader in electronic market making, and took the company public in 2015.
The Trump team later published a list of statements from prominent government and business officials applauding Viola’s nomination.
“During these uncertain and complex times we need leaders of great character to lead our military services. I know of no one more qualified and dedicated to lead our great Army than Vinnie Viola,” read a quote from former Army Chief of Staff, retired Ge. Raymond Odierno, posted to Trump’s transition website. “A West point graduate and long time supporter of our soldiers, he has demonstrated a unique capability to build innovative and agile teams. Vinnie will bring a wealth of business experience and military understanding to this critical national security position — an inspiring choice.”
The website also featured a quote from retired Gen. Keith Alexander, former Director of the National Security Agency, saying “I would like to express my strong support for President-elect Trump’s nomination of Vinnie Viola for the position of Secretary of the Army.’
“Vinnie has been a leader, innovator and change agent throughout his career,” Alexander said. “He was an early and strong supporter of the Army’s Cyber Institute. He has extensive knowledge of the cyber threat to our nation and is well prepared to lead our Army to counter this and other challenging threats our nation faces.”