Mark Esper

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

President 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.[3] Four days later, it was announced that Trump would nominate Esper to serve as Secretary of Defense in a permanent capacity.[28] On July 15, 2019, the White House formally sent his nomination to the Senate.[29][30] 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.[31] The Senate Committee on Armed Services scheduled a hearing on the nomination for the next day.[32] On July 22, 2019, the Senate voted 85–6 to invoke cloture on his nomination.[33] On July 23, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a vote of 90–8.[34]

Esper inspects troops alongside Vietnamese defense minister Ngô Xuân Lịch in Hanoi, November 20, 2019

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.[35]

On November 24, 2019, during a dispute regarding whether Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher would be stripped of his Trident pin, Esper fired the United States secretary of the Navy, Richard Spencer. The Department of Defense attributed the firing to Spencer privately proposing to the White House (without informing Esper, and contrary to Spencer's public position) an arrangement to let Gallagher retire while keeping his Trident pin. On November 25, Esper stated that Trump had ordered him to stop the Navy from conducting a peer review regarding Gallagher's right to wear the pin. Esper said he previously supported the peer review, but followed Trump's order.[36] Meanwhile, Trump cited the Gallagher case as the primary reason for Esper's firing of Spencer, while also citing "large cost overruns" in the Navy.[37]

Esper met with his European counterparts in February 2020 to discuss basing options for a new United States Army headquarters in Europe, bearing the name "V Corps" that had originally been established in World War I but was inactivated while stationed in Germany in 2013. Esper stated the new headquarters was needed to improve military coordination among NATO partners.[38]

Esper visits FEMA headquarters in Washington, D.C. during the COVID-19 pandemic, April 15, 2020

In late January 2020, as the coronavirus spread, Esper said he was "not tracking" its spread, as the Trump administration downplayed the risks of the disease.[39][40]

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. A Defense Department official said Esper's intent was to ensure that the government was "communicating to the public with one voice on a rapidly developing situation" and Esper assured the public that "My No. 1 priority remains to protect our forces and their families.”[41] The following week, Esper directed the deployment of two Navy hospital ships, the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy, to take pressure off New York and Los Angeles hospitals as they coped with the pandemic.[42] Esper also authorized the Defense Department to provide civilian health authorities with five million respirator masks and 2,000 specialized ventilators.[43]

In early April, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly removed Navy Captain Brett Crozier from command of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt after Crozier pleaded with Navy leaders to move more quickly to in the face of a coronavirus outbreak on the ship. Esper defended Modly's decision,[44] though he conceded that he had not read Crozier's letter calling for help.[40] Within days, widespread condemnation led Modly to resign. Esper named James McPherson, Under Secretary of the Army, to replace him.[45]

On April 14, 2020, Esper announced the extension of a travel freeze on military members and Department of Defense civilian employees. The original order to stop movement was to last for 60 days, but Esper said that additional time was needed to stop the spread of the virus.[46] Several days following the announcement, Esper extended the freeze through June 30, 2020.[47]

Lawmakers, retired officers and experts criticized Esper's response to the coronavirus, describing it as slow and indecisive. According to Politico, there was discontent within the Department of Defense about Esper's leadership on the issue. Esper primarily left it up to local commanders in terms of how they would respond to the pandemic, which resulted in uneven responses. Several military officials said there was a lack of top-down planning and guidance on important decisions.[40] 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."[48] A Pentagon spokesman defended DoD's handling of the pandemic.[49][50]

In May 2020, at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in Europe, Esper interacted without a face mask with seven World War II veterans who were between the ages of 96 and 100. The elderly are at an elevated risk of illness and death from the coronavirus; health experts and authorities advise that the spread can be halted with face masks and social distancing measures. In response to critics, Jonathan Hoffman, a Pentagon spokesman, said Esper was tested before the event; a White House official said the veterans were also tested before the event.[51]

That same month, Esper declared that a widely available vaccine would be available by the end of 2020. However, a leaked Pentagon memo said there was a "real possibility" that a vaccine would not be available until "at least the summer of 2021."[52][53]

Wikisource has original text related to this article: Mark Esper's Remarks on the Insurrection Act amid Anti-Racism Protests

On June 1, 2020, amid nationwide civil unrest arising from the killing of George Floyd by police, Secretary Esper was called to the White House to meet with President Trump. In a heated and contentious debate in the Oval Office President Trump demanded the military put 10,000 active duty troops into the streets immediately, a senior administration official told CBS News. Attorney General William Barr, Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley objected to the demand, the official said. Later that morning, in an attempt to satisfy Mr. Trump's demand, Esper and Milley used a call with the nation's governors to implore them to call up the National Guard in their own states, the official said. If these governors didn't "call up the Guard, we'd have (active duty) troops all over the country," this official said.[54]

The call with the governors was focused on the need to deal with those breaking the law and committing acts of violence against the police, their fellow citizens, and private property. During the call, President Trump, Attorney General Barr, and Secretary Esper spoke of “dominating” the streets as a way to reduce violence and allow peaceful protestors to exercise their First Amendment rights. Attorney General Barr spoke of calling up additional law enforcement assets. Secretary Esper spoke of governors' employing the National Guard under their (state) control, citing the action taken and positive results achieved by Governor Tim Walz, Democrat of Minnesota, over the previous weekend. [55]

During the call Secretary Esper told state governors, "I think the sooner that you mass and dominate the battlespace, the quicker this dissipates and we can get back to the right normal."[56]

In a June 3rd Pentagon press conference two days later, in response to reporter's question, Secretary Esper clarified details of the call with the governors:

"Secretary Esper press conference on civil unrest - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.

With regard to your first question, as you rightly said earlier this week, I was quoted as saying, 'The best way to get street violence under control was by dominating the battle space.'"

"And probably all of you who covered the Pentagon, hear us use this phrase often. It’s something we use day in and day out. There are other phrases that we use day in day out that you’ll understand that most people don’t understand. It is part of our military lexicon that I grew up with, and it’s what we routinely use to describe a bounded area of operations. It’s not a phrase focused on people, and certainly not on our fellow Americans as some have suggested. It is a phrase I used over the weekend when speaking with Minnesota Governor Walz. He and I spoke a couple of times on Friday and Saturday, as I spoke to him about DOD support to what was happening there. Keep in mind, it was only a few short days ago where Minneapolis was the epicenter and all eyes were focused on Minnesota. But Governor Walz was also a former member of the National Guard, and I was complimenting him on the call with the governors about what he had done."

"It was his (Minnesota Governor Tim Walz) successful use of the Guard in sufficient numbers that really rested control of the streets from the looters and others breaking the law, so I was giving him credit for that. And he was doing so, so the peaceful demonstrations could be held, so that peaceful demonstrators could share their frustration and their anger. That’s what I was encouraging other governors to consider. In retrospect, I would use different wording. So as to not distract from the more important matters at hand, or allow some to suggest that we are militarizing the issue."[57]

In a June 2nd memorandum to all Department of Defense personnel[58] – less than 24 hours after civil unrest arising from the killing of George Floyd by police – Secretary Esper reminded service members and DOD civilians about their sworn oath to defend the Constitution of the United States, and the importance of that oath to all Americans in guaranteeing their rights:

"As part of that oath, we commit to protecting the American people's right to freedom of speech and to peaceful assembly. I, like you, am steadfast in my belief that Americans who are frustrated, angry, and seeking to be heard must be ensured that opportunity. And like you, I am committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting life and liberty, so that the violent actions of a few do not undermine the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens."

On June 1st, amid nationwide civil unrest arising from the killing of George Floyd by police, Secretary Esper walked alongside Trump to a photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church outside the White House; just prior, police in riot gear and mounted police cleared protestors who had been throwing bricks and other projectiles[59] from Lafayette Square, using smoke and flash grenades and a chemical irritant spray, clearing a path for President Trump, Secretary Esper and several other Trump administration officials.[60] Secretary Esper's participation in the photo op was criticized by a number of retired senior military officers.[61] Two days later, June 3rd, in his prepared remarks given at a Pentagon Press Conference, Secretary Esper commented on this matter after an NBC report had misquoted him:[62]

"Last night, a story came out based on a background interview I did earlier in the day, it focused on the events of last Monday evening in Lafayette Park, and I found it to be inaccurate in parts. So I want to state very clearly for all to hear my account of what happened that Monday afternoon.

I did know that following the president’s remarks on Monday evening, that many of us were going to join President Trump and review the damage in Lafayette Park and at St. John’s Episcopal Church. What I was not aware of was exactly where we’re going when we arrived at the church and what the plans were once we got there.

It was also my aim and General Milley’s to meet with and thank the members of the National Guard who were on duty that evening in the park. It is something the president likes to do as well. The path we took to and from the church didn’t afford us that opportunity, but I was able to spend a considerable amount of time with our Guardsman later that evening, as I moved around the city to many of the locations at which they were posted."

At the same June 3rd Pentagon press conference, in responding to reporter's question, Secretary Esper further clarified:[57]

"Well, I did know that we were going to the church. I was not aware of a photo op was happening. Of course, the president drags a large press pool along with him. And look, I do everything I can to try to stay apolitical and try and stay out of situations that may appear political. And sometimes I’m successful at doing that, and sometimes I’m not as successful, but my aim is to keep the department out of politics to stay apolitical. And that’s what I continue to try and do as well as my leaders, here in the department."

In a June 2nd memorandum to all Department of Defense personnel[58] Secretary Esper made clear the importance of the US military remaining apolitical:

"As I reminded you in February, I ask that you remember at all times our commitment as a Department and as public servants to stay apolitical in these turbulent days. For well over two centuries, the U.S. military has earned the respect of the American people by being there to protect and serve all Americans."

Additionally, in the above-cited Pentagon press briefing, less than 36 hours after the events of the previous Monday evening, Secretary Esper broke with President Trump by announcing that active-duty troops should not be used in American cities, called up under invocation of the 1807 Insurrection Act[63] Secretary Esper’s act of defiance was an assertion of the military’s proper role in society, and the importance of the Defense Department remaining apolitical, a defender of Constitutional rights for all Americans.

"I’ve always believed and continue to believe that the National Guard is best suited for performing domestic support to civil authorities and these situations in support of local law enforcement. I say this not only as Secretary of Defense, but also as a former soldier, and a former member of the National Guard. The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort, and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act."[63]

Secretary Esper’s statement damped President Trump's push to invoke the Insurrection Act and changed the dynamic of the first two days.  Secretary Esper took steps in the following days to further de-escalate the situation, removing weapons and ammunition from the National Guard, and returning troops to their home bases without notifying the White House. The President was already furious about Esper’s unwillingness to employ active duty troops, and came close to firing him. [64]

On June 6th, the House Armed Services Committee invited Secretary Esper and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Milley to testify before the committee regarding the events of June 1st.  Amidst claims that Secretary Esper and Joint Chiefs Chariman Milley "refused" to testify, the Pentagon pushed back on the characterization. Chief spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in statement that the pair "have not 'refused' to testify" and that the department's “legislative affairs team remains in discussion" with the committee.[65] In the meantime, on June 8th, DoD provided Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy to brief the committee on the presence of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., this past week.” [66]