U.S. President Donald Trump has selected a Christian conservative and ex U.S. Army flight surgeon Mark Green to succeed former "out" homosexual U.S. Army Secretary Eric Fanning.

Ex-Army officer and West Point alumnus Mark Green is said to be Trump's top nominee for the post that is currently held by Fanning, reported The Tennesean. Green was part of the Army's special operations team that took former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in 2003.

He left the Army in 2006 and went to build and become CEO of AlignMD, a medical staffing firm until 2016 when it was acquired by American Physician Partners. He is currently a senator in the Republican Party for the state.

The nomination comes as a surprise as Green is said to eye Tennessee's governor post in 2018.

While his nomination by the president would still require approval from the Senate, his confirmation for the post would keep him out of the running for the 2018 gubernatorial race.

Meanwhile, news of his nomination was met with apprehension by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The American Military Partner Association (AMPA), the country's biggest network of LGBT military spouses and relatives have expressed their worry over the conservative Christian's impending appointment.

"We are deeply concerned over reports that Mark Green will be nominated as Secretary of the Army," AMPA President Ashley Broadway-Mack told LGBT Weekly. "Green has made a shameful political career out of targeting LGBT people for discrimination. All soldiers and their families, including those who are LGBT, should have confidence that the Secretary of the Army has their back and is working for their best interest," she added.

Broadway-Mack recalled the senator's former tirades against the LGBT community, which deems him as someone who "cannot be trusted to ensure all those who serve have the support they need and deserve."

In January 2017, Green file the SB 127 bill that states, "A government entity shall not take discriminatory action against a business entity on the basis of the internal policies of the business entity, including, but not limited to, personnel and employee benefit policies that are in compliance with state law."

Many believed the bill was targeted at the LGBT community and the Human Rights Campaign group denounced it.

Fanning, whom Green will replace as Secretary of Army, is the first openly gay person to hold the post. Fanning was appointed by then-President Barack Obama in 2016.