Eric Fanning was confirmed as the next Secretary of the Army by the U.S. Senate, which makes him the highest ranking openly gay official at the Pentagon.

Although he has never served in the military, Mr. Fanning, who is 47 years old, has held high-ranking positions in the military, including Air Force Under Secretary and Navy Deputy Under Secretary. Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas had been holding up the nomination for months, demanding that the Obama administration assure him it would not close Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move the remaining detainees to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

It is not clear if this means that the White House has given up on President Obama’s promise to close Guantanamo.