Mark T. Esper — 27th United States Secretary of Defense

Mark T. Born on April 26, 1964, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, he built a career that passed through the 101st Airborne Division, the halls of Capitol Hill, a major defense contractor, and ultimately the Pentagon’s top office. His tenure as Secretary of Defense ended on November 9, 2020, when President Trump announced his dismissal via Twitter, and the events of those final months — including his public opposition to invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops to quell nationwide protests — shaped his most lasting public record.

Key facts

Born: 26 April 1964
Birthplace: Uniontown
Country: United States
Occupation: lobbyist; military officer
Employer: RTX; United States Army; The Heritage Foundation; Aerospace Industries Association
Education: John F. Kennedy School of Government; United States Military Academy; George Washington University; Laurel Highlands High School
Awards: Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal; Kuwait Liberation Medal; Kuwait Liberation Medal

Early Life and Education

Esper grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, graduating from Laurel Highlands High School in 1982. At Laurel Highlands he lettered in football, basketball, and track. His family roots reach into the Middle East: his paternal grandfather immigrated from Lebanon, and his father, Thomas Joseph Esper, was a member of the Maronite Church.

He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he made the dean’s list and received the Douglas MacArthur Award for Leadership. In 1986 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in engineering and was commissioned as an Infantry officer. Graduate study came later: a Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1995, and a Ph.D. in Public Policy from George Washington University in 2008. His doctoral dissertation, completed that year, examined the role of Congress in the development of the United States’ strategic nuclear forces from 1947 to 1968.

Military Career

Esper spent ten years on active duty. He served in the 101st Airborne Division and participated in the Gulf War with the unit known as the Screaming Eagles. He later commanded an airborne rifle company in Europe.

After leaving active duty, he continued to serve in the National Guard and Army Reserve for eleven more years. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2007 holding the rank of lieutenant colonel. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, and two Kuwait Liberation Medals. He also received the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service twice.

Policy and Think-Tank Roles

Between military assignments, Esper moved through several policy positions. From 1996 to 1998 he served as chief of staff at The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C. From 2002 to 2004, during the George W. Bush administration, he was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy, covering nonproliferation, arms control, and international security issues.

Before returning to government in 2017, Esper worked as vice president of government relations at Raytheon, where he became a prominent corporate lobbyist. In 2013 he was inducted into the Laurel Highlands High School Hall of Fame, one of six former graduates honored that year.

Secretary of the Army

Esper was confirmed as the 23rd Secretary of the Army and took office in November 2017. In that role he was responsible for more than 1.5 million active, Guard, and reserve soldiers and Army civilians, overseeing an annual budget of $180 billion.

One of his most significant administrative acts was establishing U.S. Army Futures Command in 2018, headquartered in Austin, Texas. The creation of that command represented the most significant reorganization of the institutional Army since 1973.

Secretary of Defense

Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in 2019. His tenure became publicly contentious in June 2020, during nationwide protests following the death of George Floyd. On June 3, 2020, Esper held a Pentagon press conference at which he stated plainly that he did not support invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty troops to quell those protests. The statement put him at visible odds with the White House.

On November 9, 2020, President Trump announced through Twitter that Esper had been ‘terminated’ effective immediately. Christopher Miller, then director of the National Counterterrorism Center, replaced him.

In his subsequent memoir, Esper recounted that during a June 2020 meeting, Trump asked whether the military could shoot protesters, specifically suggesting ‘just shoot them in the legs or something.’ Esper described this exchange as part of a broader account of tensions during his tenure.

Post-Government Career

As of 2026, Esper serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council and the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and is active in venture capital and private equity. He holds the title of Distinguished Chair of the Modern War Institute at West Point.

Esper is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Legion. He married Leah Lacy in 1989; the couple have three adult children.

Did you know

Esper’s hometown of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, is also the birthplace of George C. Marshall, the World War II Army Chief of Staff and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Esper publicly named Marshall as a personal hero. (trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov)
Esper was the third nominee for Army secretary in 2017. The two previous picks, Vincent Viola and Mark Green, both withdrew before reaching a confirmation vote. (cbsnews.com)
Before becoming Army secretary, Esper was named one of Washington’s top corporate lobbyists by The Hill in both 2015 and 2016, during his time as Raytheon’s vice president of government relations. (news.cgtn.com)

Data sources

Data updated: 2026-10-28