Mark Esper

Biography of Mark Thomas Esper

Date of Birth: April 26, 1964

Mark Thomas Esper is an American politician and former Secretary of Defense of the United States.

Place of Birth and Education. Born on April 26, 1964, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA. In 1986, he graduated from the US Military Academy with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. In 1995, he earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 2008, he obtained a Ph.D. in State Politics from George Washington University.

Career. He served as an officer in the 101st Airborne Division and participated in the Gulf War. From 1996 to 1998, he led the office of the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. From 1998 to 2002, he was Senior Professional Staff Member for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Government Affairs Committee. He also served as Senior Policy Advisor and Legislative Director for US Senator Chuck Hagel.

From 2001 to 2002, he was the Policy Director of the House Armed Services Committee. From 2002 to 2004, he worked in the George W. Bush administration as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiation Policy. He was responsible for nuclear nonproliferation, arms control, and international security issues.

From 2004 to 2006, he returned to the Senate as the Director for National Security Affairs in the US Senate under the leadership of then Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.

From 2006 to 2007, he was Executive Vice President of the Aerospace Industries Association.

From September 2007 to February 2008, he was the Policy Director for Senator Fred Thompson during his 2008 presidential campaign.

From 2008 to 2010, he served as 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 appointed Vice President for Government Relations at defense contractor Raytheon. Esper was recognized by The Hill as a leading corporate lobbyist in 2015 and 2016.

On July 19, 2017, US President Donald Trump nominated Esper as Secretary of the Army after the withdrawals of Vincent Viola and Mark Green. On November 15, he was confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 89 to 6, and on November 20, Esper officially took office.

Since June 24, 2019, after the resignation of Patrick Shanahan, he has served as Acting Secretary of Defense of the USA.

On July 15, 2019, President Trump officially nominated Mark Esper to the Senate as the new Secretary of Defense and temporarily appointed Marine Secretary Richard Spencer as Acting Secretary of Defense.

On July 23, 2019, Mark Esper's nomination was officially confirmed by the US Senate.

On November 9, 2020, Donald Trump relieved Mark Esper of his duties as Secretary of Defense.

April 26, 2022