27th Secretary of DefensE

23rd Secretary of the Army

oRder Secretary Esper's
new book now!

27th Secretary of Defense

23rd Secretary of the Army

oRder Secretary Esper's
Bestselling Memoir!

About Secretary Esper

Dr. Mark T. Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in July 2019 when he was confirmed in an overwhelming 90-8 vote by the U.S. Senate in rare bipartisan fashion. Esper went on to successfully lead the Defense Department through an unprecedented time in the nation’s history: from conflict with Iran, an ongoing military campaign in Afghanistan, and counter-terrorist operations in the Middle East; to open competition with China and Russia amidst a fundamental shift in the geo-strategic environment; and from the greatest civil unrest and political turmoil America has seen in decades, to a major recession and the spread of a global pandemic the world had not experienced in over 100 years, all while dealing with an unpredictable White House.

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Secretary Esper in the News

Stories, Op-Eds, Videos, and More

30 Mar, 2024
Hear my views on the 2024 election & America’s bad choices. I won’t vote for Trump, but as a Reagan Republican I’m not ready to vote for Biden. Nov 5 is still months away. What we need is a new generation of leaders who appeal to the majority in the middle. Watch the Interview Here .
21 Mar, 2024
As I said to CNN's John Sciutto, Israel must go into Rafah to remove remaining militant battalions and Hamas’ leaders, but must also take greater care for civilian casualties while enabling more aid to get in. US must continue to stand by our ally! Watch the Interview Here .
20 Mar, 2024
As I discuss with Jake Tapper, Israel needs to go into Rafah to finish Hamas. Watch the Interview Here.
16 Mar, 2024
Trump Likely to Take ‘Harder Line’ Against Japan, Other Allies in Second Term, His Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper Warns By Hiroshi Tajima, Riley Martinez / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers 6:00 JST, March 16, 2024 WASHINGTON — Former U.S. President Donald Trump likely will take “a harder line” toward U.S. allies and partners, including Japan, if he is reelected this November, according to Mark Esper, who served as defense secretary during the first Trump administration. In an exclusive interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun, Esper suggested Trump might press Japan to increase its “host nation support,” the financial support Tokyo provides to Washington to offset the cost of stationing U.S. forces in Japan, and also quickly end U.S. assistance for Ukraine. “[Trump] is clearly advancing a more isolationist foreign policy,” said Esper. Trump, who recently clinched the Republican Party nomination for this year’s presidential election, has said his second term will be about “retribution,” Esper said, adding, “I’m concerned that he’ll continue to chip away at our democracy, at our institutions.” Esper suggested that because a second term would be Trump’s last, the prospect of reelection “won’t restrain him the way it did during his first four years.” Esper indicated that Trump might use the metric of whether U.S. allies such as Japan, South Korea and members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are contributing 2% of their gross domestic product to defense when deciding his diplomatic approach to those nations. The Japanese government has set a goal of increasing defense- and security-related spending to 2% of GDP by fiscal 2027. "Trump may or may not say that’s good enough,” Esper said. “He may put pressure on Japan to increase host nation support and commit to buying more arms” from the United States. Esper, who served in the U.S. Army, was appointed defense secretary in July 2019. He was dismissed in November 2020 after disagreements with Trump on issues including the response to street protests over racial injustice. Since then, Esper has kept his distance from the former president.
13 Mar, 2024
I discuss with Anderson Cooper the threat TikTok poses, and why I'm pleased to see House Republicans buck former President Trump on the issues. Watch the Interview Here .
11 Mar, 2024
During the interview with Jake Tapper, I contrast today's GOP with Reagan's GOP. Watch the Interview Here .
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Get Secretary Esper’s Best-Selling Memoir

Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper reveals the shocking details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump administration.


From June of 2019 until his firing by President Trump after the November 2020 election, Secretary Mark T. Esper led the Department of Defense through an unprecedented time in history—a period marked by growing threats and conflict abroad, a global pandemic unseen in a century, the greatest domestic unrest in two generations, and a White House seemingly bent on breaking accepted norms and conventions for political advantage. A Sacred Oath is Secretary Esper’s unvarnished and candid memoir of those extraordinary and dangerous times, and includes events and moments never before told.

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The Esper group - Consulting

Secretary Esper provides a wide range of consulting services through his firm, The Esper Group, which specializes in defense, national security, and international affairs. We ensure our clients’ success by helping them assess, understand, and shape the business, political, policy, regulatory, media, and international factors that affect their organizations. Our comprehensive strategies help our clients chart paths forward that solve their problems in a timely and efficient manner.


The Esper Group works with key government, private sector, and non-profit experts, stakeholders, and influencers to overcome obstacles and promote success. Our relationships across these domains in the U.S. and abroad helps inform, improve, and enable our solutions, while further assisting our clients in identifying and exploiting market opportunities for their technologies, products, and services.


For more information, please contact The Esper Group here.

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