The Hon. Mark T. Esper
Dr. Mark T. Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in July 2019. Upon graduating from West Point Dr. Esper served in the Gulf War on active duty and commanded what is now the 173d Airborne Brigade. Dr. Esper served in the Army for 21 years.
Upon leaving the Army, Dr. Esper was chief of staff at The Heritage Foundation. Later he served as senior staff on several Senate and House committees including the Senate Government Affairs Committee, and House Armed Services Committee. Dr. Esper was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy from 2002 to 2004 and National Security Advisor for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist from 2004 to 2006.
From 2006 to 2007 Dr. Esper was the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Defense and International Affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association. He was a senior executive at the Raytheon Company from 2010 to 2017. From 2017 to 2019 Dr. Esper served as Secretary of the Army.
Dr. Esper holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy, a Master of Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and a doctorate in Public Policy from George Washington University.
Dr. Esper also serves on a number of private equity and venture capital company portfolio boards. He is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. His memoir, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, chronicles his service while Secretary of Defense.
