Mark Esper

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mark Esper

Mark Thomas Esper (born April 26, 1964 in Uniontown , Pennsylvania ) is an American politician . He was Secretary of Defense of the United States from July 2019 to November 2020 .

Prior to joining the Department of Defense, Esper was vice president of government relations at Raytheon , a major US defense company. While at Raytheon, Esper was recognized by The Hill as a top corporate lobbyist in 2015 and 2016.

On July 23, 2019, Esper was confirmed by the United States Senate as 27th Secretary of Defense, replacing Patrick M. Shanahan . On November 9, 2020, he was sacked by President Donald Trump .

education

Esper graduated from Laurel Highlands High School in 1982. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1986 . Esper received the Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership. He received his Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard in 1995 and a PhD in Public Policy from George Washington University in 2008 .

Career

Esper served as an infantry officer in the 101st Airborne Division and was used with the "Screaming Eagles" in the Gulf War 1990-1991. His battalion was part of the famous "left hook" which caused the fall of the Iraqi army. For his actions, Esper received the Bronze Star Medal , the Combat Infantryman Badge , the Kuwait Liberation Medal , and various service medals. He later ran an Airborne Rifle Company in Europe and served as a military fellow at the Pentagon . Esper served over ten years of active service before joining the National Guard and later the Army Reserve and becoming Lieutenant Colonel . Esper was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service by the US Department of Defense and received the Legion of Merit .

Esper was Chief of Staff of the Heritage Foundation , a conservative think tank , from 1996 to 1998 . From 1998 to 2002, Esper served as an officer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Government Affairs Committee . He was also Senior Policy Advisor and Legislative Director to US Senator Chuck Hagel . He was Political Director of the House Armed Services Committee from 2001 to 2002 . From 2002 to 2004 Esper served in the George W. Bush Administration as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiation Policy, where he was responsible for gun control and international security issues. He was the US Senate Director of National Security Affairs from 2004 to 2006, under the chairmanship of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist .

Esper was executive vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association in 2006 and 2007 . He was National Policy Director of Senator Fred Thompson during the 2008 US presidential election . From 2008 to 2010 Esper was Executive Vice President of the Global Intellectual Property Center and Vice President for Europe and Eurasia at the US Chamber of Commerce. In July 2010 he was hired as Vice President, Government Relations for Raytheon. Esper was recognized by The Hill as a top corporate lobbyist in 2015 and 2016.

President Trump announced that Esper would be named Secretary of the Army on June 19, 2017 . After Vincent Viola and Mark E. Green retired, he was Trump's third candidate for the position. He was confirmed in this post by an 89-6 US Senate vote on November 15, 2017 and sworn in on November 20, 2017.

Defense Minister

Planned appointment and swearing-in

Esper is sworn in as Secretary of Defense by Chief Justice Samuel Alito on July 23, 2019, in the presence of his wife Leah

On June 18, 2019, after incumbent Patrick Shanahan decided to resign, President Trump announced Esper's appointment as acting Secretary of Defense of the United States. Four days later, it was announced that Trump would appoint Esper as permanent secretary of defense. On July 15, 2019, the White House officially sent its nomination to the Senate. The Armed Forces Committee scheduled a nomination hearing the next day. On July 22, 2019, the Senate voted 85 to 6 to invoke his nomination. On July 23, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a vote of 90 to 8.

Political opinion

When reporters asked Esper on February 15, 2018 if soldiers were concerned about serving with transgender people, he told reporters, "It has not happened yet." After being selected for the position of Secretary of Defense, he said, that it was not a problem for him to be "transgender" and said that he had met several transgender workers and was very impressed by many of them. He supports the policy-like Memorandum-19-004 and claims that there is no “general ban” on transgender military service. He believes that anyone who can meet military standards without "special precautions" and can operate worldwide should be able to do so, including transgender people, as long as they can adhere to cisgender standards, that are linked to their biological gender. He explained that military personnel with gender dysphoria are allowed to have their condition examined and be offered exemption on a case-by-case basis, but also to serve. He cited the U.S. Department of Defense's 2018 report and recommendations on transgender military service, alleging that people with gender dysphoria have had a history of gender reassignment medical treatment or are unable or unwilling to do so To do military service. Standards associated with their biological gender could affect military readiness and effectiveness and should be assessed for purposes of joining or maintenance.

Modus operandi

Esper stated that his operational positions as Secretary of Defense were non-political and that all actions were in line with the national defense strategy formulated in 2018 by his predecessor Jim Mattis. On August 19, 2019, a cruise missile was tested off California that can also be equipped with atomic equipment. This was related to the US withdrawal from the INF treaty.

Esper came under fire when its fight against COVID-19 was deemed too lax. The commander in chief of the US armed forces in Europe, General Todd Wolters, announced on July 29, 2020 that the high command of the US armed forces in Europe would be relocated to Mons, Belgium, apparently because of ongoing differences with Germany.

When protests against structural racism and police violence broke out across the country in the summer of 2020 , Trump threatened the possible use of military force against the protesters. Esper, on the other hand, like his predecessor Jim Mattis, a number of high-ranking military officials and the US High Command, believed that using the US military to stop the unrest was not a good idea. The Pentagon expressed criticism of Trump's intention in early June 2020. This is really only the “last resort” that should only be used in the “most urgent and worst situations”, according to Esper. US media reported at the time, citing Trump's environment, that the president was considering his recall. On November 9, 2020, Trump finally fired him. The current director of the National Anti-Terrorism Center, Christopher C. Miller , is to become the acting successor .

Web links

Commons : Mark Esper  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Trump nominating Uniontown native for Army secretary. August 17, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017 .
  2. ^ Secretary of the Army: Who Is Mark Esper? Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  3. ↑ RAYTHEON NAMES MARK T. ESPER VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  4. ↑ a b Top Lobbyists 2015: Corporate. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  5. ↑ a b Top Lobbyists 2016: Corporate. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  6. ↑ a b Laurel Highlands lauds alumni's achievements. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  7. ^ Raytheon adds defense expert to lead government relations unit. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  8. ↑ US Chamber Bolsters Its Europe-Eurasia team. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  9. ↑ RAYTHEON NAMES MARK T. ESPER VICE PRESIDENT OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  10. ↑ Exclusive: Trump to nominate Mark Esper as Army secretary. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  11. ^ Trump to nominate Raytheon lobbyist for the next Army secretary. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  12. ↑ PN811 - Mark T. Esper - Department of Defense. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Shanahan Withdraws as Defense Secretary Nominee; Mark Esper Named Acting Pentagon Chief . In: New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2019 .
  14. ^ Trump Nominates Mark Esper as Next Defense Secretary. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  15. ^ One Nomination Sent to the Senate. Retrieved October 8, 2019 .
  16. ↑ PN934 - Mark T. Esper - Department of Defense. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  17. ↑ Nomination - Esper. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  18. ^ Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  19. ^ Roll Call Vote 116th Congress - 1st Session. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Soldiers not asking about transgender policy: Army secretary. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  21. ↑ CNN'S AMANPOUR. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Senate Armed Services Committee Advance Policy Questions for Dr. Mark T. Esper Nominee for Appointment to be Secretary of Defense. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  23. ^ Defense secretary wants to deliver on the goal of outpacing China. Can he do it? Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  24. ↑ Washington is testing cruise missiles . In: Spiegel . Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  25. ^ Esper, in first trip since March, defends antivirus efforts . Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  26. ↑ Almost 12,000 soldiers are to leave Germany . In: n-tv video . Accessed July 30, 2020.
  27. ^ Pentagon officials express concern as Trump threatens to use military to 'dominate' protestors . In: cnn . Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  28. ↑ US military moves soldiers to Washington . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  29. ↑ 1,600 active-duty troops sent to Washington area after some governors turn down request for National Guard . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. ^ A letter to Defense Secretary Mark Esper . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ^ Mark Esper: Defense chief breaks with Trump on response to protests . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  32. ↑ Ex-US General Hodges: Decision to withdraw troops is a mistake . Retrieved June 7, 2020.
  33. ^ Pentagon Orders Review Of National Guard's Role In Protests .
  34. ↑ DER SPIEGEL: After the US election: Donald Trump fires his Defense Secretary Mark Esper - DER SPIEGEL - Politics. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
  35. ↑ Mark Esper Sworn In as Defense Secretary. Retrieved August 10, 2019 .
  36. ↑ tagesschau.de: Trump dismisses US Secretary of Defense Esper. Retrieved November 9, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Esper, Mark
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Esper, Mark Thomas (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American politician
DATE OF BIRTH April 26, 1964
PLACE OF BIRTH Uniontown , Pennsylvania