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Mark T. Esper
Also Known As Mark Esper, Esper, Mark Thomas Esper
27th United States secretary of defense
Mark Thomas Esper is an American politician and manufacturing executive who served as the 27th United States secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously served as the 23rd U.S. secretary of the Army from November 2017 to July 2019.
A West Point graduate, Esper joined the United States Army and saw combat during the Gulf War as an infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division. Esper subsequently served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army National Guard. After leaving military service, he served as chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation; a congressional staffer; a deputy assistant secretary of defense; and a senior executive for the Aerospace Industries Association, the Global Intellectual Property Center, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Immediately before joining the Trump administration, Esper lobbied for defense contractor Raytheon as its vice president of government relations.
In 2017, he joined the Trump administration as the 23rd secretary of the Army. In 2019, Esper was named acting defense secretary; he was confirmed shortly afterwards as the 27th defense secretary by the United States Senate with a vote of 90–8. He was fired by President Donald Trump by tweet on November 9, 2020.
Secretary of Defense :
Trump announced the appointment of Esper as Acting Secretary of Defense on June 18, 2019, after Acting Secretary Patrick Shanahan decided to withdraw his nomination. Four days later, it was announced that Trump would nominate Esper to serve as Secretary of Defense in a permanent capacity. On July 15, 2019, the White House formally sent his nomination to the Senate. 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. During that period, Esper reverted to his position as Secretary of the Army. The Senate Committee on Armed Services scheduled a hearing on the nomination for the next day. On July 22, 2019, the Senate voted 85–6 to invoke cloture on his nomination. On July 23, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a vote of 90–8.
Early Life
Esper was born on April 26, 1964 in Uniontown, Pennsylvania as the son of Pauline "Polly" Reagan and Thomas Joseph Esper. His father was a member of the Maronite Church. His paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Lebanon, and his uncle was war journalist George Esper.
Esper graduated from Laurel Highlands High School outside Uniontown, Pennsylvania, in 1982. He received his Bachelor of Science in engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1986. Esper was a dean's list student at West Point and received the Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership. He received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School in 1995 and a doctorate in public policy from George Washington University in 2008.
Education
- Graduated - Laurel Highlands High School outside Uniontown, Pennsylvania
- Bachelor of Science in engineering - United States Military Academy
- Master's degree in public administration - Harvard Kennedy School
- Doctorate in public policy - George Washington University
Career
- United States - 27th secretary of defense
Recognition
In 2018, The George Washington University presented Esper with its Distinguished Alumni Award for his service as Secretary of the Army.
Esper received the George C. Marshall Foundation's Andrew J. Goodpaster Award (2021) and the Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute's "Peace Through Strength" Award (2022).
The President of Lithuania awarded Esper the Cross of Commander of the Order for Merits to Lithuania on March 22, 2023, in the capital, Vilnius.
On May 20, 2023, Esper received the Military Hero Award by the PenFed Foundation at its annual gala in Washington, D.C.