In an unprecedented move, President Obama nominated Eric Fanning, an openly gay man, as the next Secretary of the Army. In this civilian position, Fanning will work with Gen. Mark Milley and lead the Army. If Fanning’s nomination is approved by the Senate, he will become the first openly gay secretary of an American military service.

Fanning has held several positions at the Pentagon, including senior level positions in the Air Force and Navy.

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

However, Fanning’s nomination has drawn controversy, namely from Mike Huckabee who said that the president is pandering to the leftwing.

“It’s clear President Obama is more interested in appeasing America’s homosexuals than honoring America’s heroes,” Huckabee said in a statement. He also reiterated a comment he made in the Fox News GOP primary debate that, “The US military is designed to keep Americans safe and complete combat missions, not to conduct social experiments.”

Despite Huckabee and Obama’s assertions that this nomination is a significant policy change, military veterans responded to Fanning with little more than a shrug. Phil Carter, a veteran of the war in Iraq and a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, explained to the Washington Post that the press coverage of this nomination is overblown.

“My sense is that the Army is over this and has been over it for some time. The Army cares whether you can shoot straight, not whether you are straight,” Carter said.