Defense Aide, Viet Veteran, Selected as Navy Secretary

James H. Webb, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who has spent the last three years as the assistant defense secretary for reserve affairs, has been tapped by the Reagan Administration to become the next secretary of the Navy, sources said today.

The disclosure of Webb’s selection came as John Lehman, the high-profile secretary of the Navy for the last six years, resigned.

Webb, 40, had announced Feb. 2 that he was resigning his Pentagon post to return to private life as a novelist. He has written several best-selling books, including “Fields of Fire,” a novel about ground combat in Vietnam.

“But then it was announced that Lehman was going to step down, and that’s the one job that would keep Jim in the building,” said one official who asked not to be named.

“He was on his way out the door, but he wasn’t about to say ‘no’ to this. (Defense Secretary Caspar W.) Weinberger asked him personally to take it on, and he said ‘yes.”’

The Pentagon announced last week that Lehman had informed Weinberger of his decision to resign later this year. And Lehman said today that he will step down as soon as his successor is confirmed by the Senate.

Lehman said his decision to step down from “the best job in the world” was prompted by a desire to spend more time with his wife and three young children. He added he hoped to find an executive position in industry.

Webb has frequently waged--and won--battles with military brass over reserve programs. He is credited with almost single-handedly forcing the military services to begin a program of mandatory one-day musters to improve the readiness of inactive reservists.

Webb last year helped win passage of a law that prevents governors from vetoing overseas training deployments for their National Guard units.