As published (The Hill - July 7, 2020) - Defense Secretary Mark Esper has come under fire from the left. He was accused of favoring an overly military response to the riots that followed the tragic death of George Floyd and was condemned for walking with President Trump across Lafayette Park. Esper was finally able to tell his side of the story this month at the hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. He set the record straight. No active duty units took part in law enforcement. The National Guard did not advance on the crowd in Lafayette Park, nor did it use rubber bullets or chemical agents.

Moreover, he affirmed that the military has an appropriate constitutional role to play in supporting civil authorities, and that law and order must be returned to the streets of America. In other words, Esper stands with the president. That is perhaps why the left has it in for Esper. They despise the president and dislike the defense agenda of the administration, as Trump consistently invests in strengthening our armed forces and has reoriented military strategy to address this new era of great power competition. No one has done more to advance that defense agenda than Esper.



His leadership has made real gains on multiple fronts by building a more lethal force, strengthening alliances, and implementing reforms. Military readiness levels have steadily improved. New and better ships, planes, and platforms are coming on line. Research and engineering in critical areas such as directed energy, unmanned systems, hypersonic missiles, and artificial intelligence have been jump started to give our troops the fundamental tools they will need to prevail in future combat.