Retired Army special operations master sergeant Pasha Palanker first met Marc Andersen during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the man who now manages Army finances was handing out diapers at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, as part of volunteer work to support military families.
Palanker was impressed — both by Andersen’s tall stature and formidable presence and by how he seemed to be serving the military community without a spotlight or a political agenda. The two quickly developed a close relationship.
On Sept. 5, Palanker posted a series of photos of himself with Andersen on his Instagram, along with a “wholehearted” endorsement for the role of Army secretary, a position left vacant after Dan Driscoll’s resignation on Aug. 31 amid reported friction with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
“He listens. He cares. He gets things done,” Palanker wrote. “He combines the heart of a servant leader with the experience of an execution-oriented business leader turning vision into resources, infrastructure, and measurable results while keeping Soldiers and families at the center.”
Andersen, who was handpicked by Driscoll to become the assistant secretary of the Army for Financial Management and Comptroller last year, is now on a short list of candidates under consideration by the White House for the Army’s top civilian role, multiple sources confirmed to Military Times.
Six different people, including two senior Pentagon officials, described in interviews the good reputation Andersen enjoyed inside and outside the building and suggested his “squeaky-clean” image might contrast favorably with the controversy surrounding Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s top spokesman and Hegseth’s reported favorite for the job.
They also suggested Andersen’s background in finance — both in the private sector and in his current Pentagon role — could help guide the Army through a challenging near future that likely will include a continuing resolution and difficult budget decisions.
Andersen did not respond to a Military Times’ request for comment.
“Marc has already proven he can do the job,” one senior official said, requesting anonymity to speak freely and citing Andersen’s rollout of the Army budget and his work to navigate the service through a shutdown and continuing resolution immediately after taking office in October 2025 following a 51-47 en bloc confirmation vote by the Senate. “He reset the Army’s audit and put the service on track for 2028, and he built the consensus across the Department of War to get there. He brings stability, and he keeps transformation moving.”
The official also said it was “hard to see” Parnell getting confirmed by the Senate, meaning putting him forward for the role of Army secretary could lead to a greater period of instability for a service that has been without a chief of staff since Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George in April. Parnell, who assumed his Pentagon role in February 2025, suspended his campaign for a Senate seat in 2021 after allegations of abuse surfaced in divorce and child custody proceedings with his estranged wife.
Others reportedly under consideration for the job include Adam Telle, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works who was tapped by President Donald Trump on Sept. 4 to serve as acting secretary of the Army; Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., who lost both legs while serving in an Army explosive ordnance disposal unit in Afghanistan in 2010; and Derrick Anderson, the assistant secretary of defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict.
Trump and Hegseth both called Telle, Trump’s former chief liaison to the Senate, a “great patriot” in announcing his elevation to acting Army secretary.
Andersen, Anderson and Telle, who all have relatively low public profiles, are generally liked and respected inside the Pentagon, sources said. What’s notable about Andersen is how campaigning by his supporters appears to be spilling into public view — a rarity in a typically hidden consideration process for an unelected, Senate-confirmed position. The trend may speak to an unusually pronounced desire for stability and continuity amid leadership upheaval and uncertainty.
Retired Air Force Gen. Timothy Ray, former commander of Air Force Global Strike Command and president and CEO of Business Executives for National Security described to Military Times working with Andersen through his organization to “help the Army revitalize parts of the organic industrial base” and instill public-sector best business practices at the service.
“He’s fantastic to work with, really understands the problems and solutions needed and has a great relationship with the Hill,” Ray said.
On a podcast interview posted in late August, Andersen spoke of his own 22-year career as a partner with EY, formerly Ernst & Young, and revealed that he’d been considered by the Trump administration for the role of U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, the country from which his grandfather emigrated. He’d gotten a cold call, he said, from Driscoll, who wanted to talk about the Army’s new Strategic Capital Initiative, which partners the military with the private sector to advance modernization, and how Andersen’s experience could help drive the work.
“I got to know Dan, I got to know the team, and [they’re] just great people, and I wanted a chance to serve,” Andersen said.
It’s not clear when Trump will make his nomination for Army secretary. Trump this week nominated Hung Cao for Navy secretary, a position filled on an acting basis since April.
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