Mark T Esper
Secretary of the United States Army
Dr. Mark T Esper was confirmed by the US Senate, 15 November 2017, and
sworn in as the 23rd secretary of the US Army, 20 November 2017. Esper
was nominated as the secretary of defense, 15 July 2019.
As secretary, he has statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the US Army,
to include the recruitment, organization, training, equipping, and care of 1.4 million
active duty, National Guard, Reserve Soldiers, Department of the Army Civilians and
their Families.
For the past seven years, Esper was a senior executive at the Raytheon Company
as vice president for Government Relations. From 2008-2010, Esper served
concurrently as executive vice president for the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global
Intellectual Property Center and as vice president for Europe and Eurasian Affairs.
From 2006-2007 he served as COO and executive vice president of Defense and
International Affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association.
Esper also has extensive experience working on Capitol Hill. He served as national
security advisor for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist; policy director for the House
Armed Services Committee; and as a professional staff member on the Senate
Foreign Relations and Government Affairs Committees where he was responsible
for national security issues. Esper also served as the legislative director and senior
policy advisor to Senator Chuck Hagel.
His Pentagon experience includes serving as the deputy assistant secretary of
defense (Negotiations Policy) in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and earlier
on the Army staff as a war planner. Esper was also chief of staff of the Heritage
Foundation, and taught at Missouri State University’s Department of Defense and
Strategic Studies program in Fairfax, Virginia.
Esper is a 1986 graduate of the US Military Academy and received his commission
in the Infantry. Upon completion of Ranger and Pathfinder training, he served in
the Regular Army for over a decade, including service in the 1990-1991 Gulf War
with the 101st Airborne Division. He later commanded an airborne rifle company in
Europe. Following active duty, he served in both the Virginia and District of Columbia
National Guard, and Army Reserve before retiring in 2007.
Esper holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard University, and a doctorate in Public Policy from
George Washington University. He is a recipient of the Department of Defense
Medal for Distinguished Public Service. Among his military awards and decorations
are the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, Kuwait
Liberation Medal – Saudi Arabia, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Esper and his
wife Leah have been married for 28 years and have three adult children.
28 ARMY 245: Call to Duty