[11], Esper served as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division and deployed with the "Screaming Eagles" for the Gulf War. In his opening statement before the Senate Armed Committee in November of 2017, he began by talking at length about Leah. No complaints. From September 2007 to February 2008, Esper served as national policy director to Senator Fred Thompson in his 2008 presidential campaign. He received his Bachelor of Science in engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1986. In the wake of leaving his squad obligation, he filled in as Chief of Staff at The Heritage Foundation research organization, trailed by administration as authoritative director and senior strategy counsel to former Senator Chuck Hagel.
"[41] While Trump framed the withdrawal as an act of retribution against the Germans, Esper cited a different rationale, framing the decision in strategic terms,[42] although he acknowledged that Trump's anger at German military spending "accelerated" the process.
"[44], The idea for a significant reduction of troops from Germany originated from the Trump White House, where it was pushed by two Trump advisers, Robert C. O'Brien and Richard Grenell. [16] He was policy director for the House Armed Services Committee from 2001 to 2002.
[50] Within days, widespread condemnation led Modly to resign. "Esper is the 23 secretary of the Army. Luke wrote on his Facebook page that his hometown was Vicenza, Italy. He resigned from the U.S. Armed force in 2007 in the wake of going through 10 years on obligation and 11 years in the National Guard and Army Reserve. Defense Secretary Mark Esper never received a briefing about alleged Russian practices against U.S. troops in Afghanistan that included the term "bounty," he told Congress on Thursday. Mark Thomas Esper (born April 26, 1964) is the 27th and current United States secretary of defense, and a former U.S. Army officer and defense contractor lobbyist before his appointment. [29] On July 22, 2019, the Senate voted 85–6 to invoke cloture on his nomination. He said that servicemembers would be individually assessed and that some would be offered waivers to allow them to continue to serve. [2][88] They have three children: Luke, John and Kate. But her name does not come up in a search of current licensed teachers on the Virginia Department of Education website. [50] In a letter in late April 2020, ten Democratic senators called Esper's leadership "disjointed and slow", saying that DOD's civilian leadership had "failed to act sufficiently, quickly, and has often prioritized [combat] readiness at the expense of the health of service members and their families. He was the 23rd United States Secretary of the Army from November 2017 until July 2019.
[3] He was confirmed by the Senate on November 15, 2017.
He was hired as vice president of government relations at defense contractor Raytheon in July 2010. The Old Guard's Presidential Salute Battery team fired volleys for the occasion at the north end of Summerall Field.Esper has a long history as a Soldier and Army leader, strategist, and war planner. Esper was photographed reading to a group of children in the Watters Child Development Center 2. "Mark Esper is no sunshine Soldier," Milley said. He was director for national security affairs for the U.S. Senate under Senate majority leader Bill Frist from 2004 to 2006. [16] Esper was recognized as a top corporate lobbyist by The Hill in 2015 and 2016.
In this interview, Esper cited the Defense Department's February 2018 report to support his views. He had been commanding an airborne rifle company at the time, he explained during his opening statement. Leah and Mark Esper have been married for nearly three decades, according to his bio on the Army website. [52] Esper also authorized the Defense Department to provide civilian health authorities with five million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators. His compassion flows to risk it all in defense of this great nation. [26][27] Following his formal nomination, Esper was replaced as Acting Defense Secretary by Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer, as the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 prevented Esper from serving as acting secretary while his nomination was formally under consideration. He resigned on June 24, 2019 to become acting Defense Secretary. President Trump announced on June 18, 2019, that he was naming Secretary Esper to be the Acting Secretary of Defense. She gave birth to their oldest child overseas in an Army hospital. [31], Esper has said that his operating positions as Secretary of Defense would be apolitical, in keeping with the National Defense Strategy formulated in 2018 by his predecessor Jim Mattis. "Milley noted that Esper is from the same home town of another Fort Myer Family member, Gen. George C. Marshall. During that period, Esper reverted to his position as Secretary of the Army. Smith later said the Pentagon had been "reasonably cooperative" in providing witnesses to the committee amid logistical issues during the coronavirus pandemic. Esper named James McPherson, Under Secretary of the Army, to replace him. He served as Vice President of government relations at Raytheon.[1]. Leah Esper shared a photo of all of them together in January of 2015, joking that when it comes to nice family pictures, “I guess one every 4 years is good!”. President Donald Trump announced on June 18, 2019, that Esper would become acting Secretary of Defense. ", "....I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defense. With an endless supply of Ranger and Pathfinder training, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and participated in the 1990-91 Gulf War with the "Shouting Eagles."
[3] Before Shanahan withdrew his name from consideration for the position, Esper had been considered a leading candidate for the nomination had the Senate declined to confirm Shanahan. The secretary of the Army is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate.Pentagram Staff Writer Jim Dresbach can be reached at jdresbach@dcmilitary.com. [80], Days later, Esper and Milley responded in detail to a series of questions asked of them by HASC chairman Smith regarding events during the week of June 1. [9] Esper served on active duty for more than ten years before moving to the Army National Guard and later the Army Reserve, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. This was about 60% of all the recorded Esper's in the USA. Esper graduated from Laurel Highlands High School outside Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1982. © Nationalist Review and Brett MacDonald, 2017. Green. I was not aware of a photo op was happening," adding, "And look, I do everything I can to try to stay apolitical and try and stay out of situations that may appear political. From 2008 to 2010, Esper served as executive vice president of the Global Intellectual Property Center and vice president for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Helene Cooper, Eric Schmitt and Jennifer Steinhauer, DoD Medal for Distinguished Public Service, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, move some U.S. troops from Germany to Poland, Mark Esper's Remarks on the Insurrection Act amid Anti-Racism Protests, Trump to a photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church outside the White House, racial unrest across America in June 2020, "Trump nominating Uniontown native for Army secretary | Local News", "Secretary of the Army: Who Is Mark Esper? Their three children are all adults now.
An online search of records suggests she may have previously been an elementary school teacher in Fairfax County, Virginia. Patrick Shanahan’s Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Leah Esper, Mark Esper’s Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know, Copyright © 2020 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. [81][82][83], On June 18, 2020, Esper said that while the Defense Department has often led on issues of race and discrimination, he cited underrepresentation of minorities in the officer ranks as a particular problem. [41] Trump said the move was partially influenced by U.S. frustration with Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, owned by Russia's Gazprom; cited Germany's unwillingness to spend more on defense in support of NATO and accused Germany of being "very delinquent"; and said of Germany, "They make a fortune off the troops. In response to critics, the administration said that Esper and the veterans were also tested before the event. Esper said he previously supported the peer review, but followed Trump's order. Her husband was deployed shortly after they got married and Secretary Esper praised her during a Senate confirmation hearing in 2017 for being the family’s rock as they moved multiple times during his time in the Army. They are Luke, John and Kate. [49][50], As the coronavirus outbreak turned into a pandemic in early March 2020, Esper directed overseas commanders of U.S. forces to check with him before taking actions to protect U.S. troops, lest they contradict the Trump administration's messaging on the coronavirus.