Mark Esper

ReportingApr 13, 2021Read →

Former Pentagon Chief Says US Should Deploy Troops Along Black Sea

Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper says the United States should deploy more troops along the Black Sea in Bulgaria and Romania to deter potential aggression from Russia as tensions between Moscow and Washington…

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StoryNov 9, 2020Read →

Pelosi: Trump’s Firing of Esper Shows He Is ‘Intent on Using His Final Days in Office To Sow Chaos’

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says the firing of Defense Secretary Mark Esper is proof that President Donald Trump wants to “sow chaos” in the final days of his presidency. In a statement on Monday, Pelosi said…

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StoryNov 9, 2020Read →

Trump Says Defense Secretary Mark Esper ‘Has Been Terminated’

President Donald Trump is announcing that he is replacing Defense Secretary Mark Esper , a little more than a year after he was confirmed to the position by the Senate. In a tweet on Monday afternoon, Trump wrote, “I am…

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StoryNov 6, 2020Read →

Pentagon Slaps Down Report Suggesting Esper Has Prepared a Resignation Letter

The Pentagon is hitting down a report by NBC News that claimed Defense Secretary Mark Esper had prepared a resignation letter. Jonathan Hoffman, the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said on…

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StorySep 14, 2020Read →

Commander of US Forces in Afghanistan: Intelligence Has Not Corroborated Report on Russian Bounties

Months after The New York Times first reported that Russian officials paid Taliban fighters bounties to attack U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, the commander overseeing forces in Afghanistan says the intelligence officials…

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ReportingSep 5, 2020Read →

Pentagon Chief Says Trump Has Respect for Troops, After Report Said He Disparaged War Dead

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Friday that President Donald Trump respects American troops and veterans after a magazine report said Trump had called fallen U.S. military personnel buried in Europe “losers”…

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ReportingAug 13, 2020Read →

Trump Privately Discussing Replacing Defense Secretary Esper After Election

President Donald Trump has privately discussed with advisers the possibility of replacing Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the November election following a growing number of differences between them, a source…

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StoryAug 5, 2020Read →

Esper Breaks With Trump’s Assessment That Beirut Explosion Was an Attack

Defense Secretary Mark Esper says that “most believe” a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon was “an accident” — an apparent break with President Donald Trump , who suggested it was an attack. During a discussion at the…

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StoryJul 29, 2020Read →

Warren Calls on Department Leaders to Not Deploy Federal Forces to US Cities If Trump Loses Election

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) wants leaders within top U.S. agencies to commit to not deploy federal agents to cities amid protests, noting specifically if President Donald Trump loses the upcoming election and does…

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StoryJul 17, 2020Read →

Pentagon Lays Out New Policy Effectively Banning Confederate Flags on Military Facilities

The Pentagon released a new policy effectively banning Confederate flag displays at Department of Defense facilities. On Friday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper took to Twitter to announce the release of a memo unveiling…

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ReportingJul 9, 2020Read →

US Military Needs to Take ‘Hard Look’ at Confederacy Symbols, Base Names, Top General Says

The top U.S. general said on Thursday that the military had to take a “hard look” at symbols of the Confederacy, including the names of bases, and said he had recommended a commission to look at the issue even as…

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StoryJul 8, 2020Read →

Sen. Tammy Duckworth Slams Esper for ‘Failure to Protect’ Vindman From Trump

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is prepared to block over 1,000 military promotions until Defense Secretary Mark Esper provides her a “transparent accounting” of Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman’s situation. She had previously…

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StoryJun 18, 2020Read →

Esper Unveils Internal Review and New Military Board to Increase Diversity in Armed Forces

Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper is announcing a new U.S. Military group being formed to conduct internal reviews of diversity. During a video message shared via Twitter, Esper unveiled three new initiatives…

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StoryJun 12, 2020Read →

Trump Dismisses Top General’s Apology Following Visit to St. John’s Church

President Donald Trump is sharing his reaction to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Mark Milley’s apology for participating in the president’s visit to St. John’s Episcopal Church. During an interview with Fox News…

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StoryJun 3, 2020Read →

Warren Calls on Pentagon’s Internal Watchdog to Investigate Role of Military Response to DC Protests

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is urging Sean O’Donnell — the Department of Defense’s acting inspector general — to investigate the U.S. Military’s forceful response to the protesters in Washington, D.C. On Tuesday…

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StoryJun 3, 2020Read →

Esper Claims He Had ‘No Idea’ Force Would be Used to Clear DC Protesters

Department of Defense Secretary Mark Esper is offering his side of the story following President Donald Trump’s widely criticized photo-op. On Tuesday night, Esper conducted a brief interview NBC News where he offered a…

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ReportingJun 3, 2020Read →

Perils for Pentagon as Trump Threatens to Militarize Response to Civil Unrest

“Battlespace” was the word Defense Secretary Mark Esper used to describe protest sites in the United States. The top U.S. general reinforced that image by appearing in downtown Washington in camouflage during a Monday…

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StoryMay 25, 2020Read →

Trump Participates in Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington to Honor Fallen Service Members

President Donald Trump is honoring America’s fallen service members on Memorial Day by participating in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetary. On Monday, Trump travelled to Arlington for the ceremony…

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StoryMay 6, 2020Read →

Pentagon: Testing Full Military Force Would Not Be Good Use of Coronavirus Tests

Defense Secretary Mark Esper is making it clear that the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has no intent on testing its full 2.2 million-person force for the coronavirus. During a virtual Pentagon press conference on…

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ReportingApr 25, 2020Read →

Navy Wants to Reinstate Fired Captain of Coronavirus-Hit Aircraft Carrier, Sources Say

In an extraordinary reversal, the U.S. Navy has recommended reinstating the fired captain of the coronavirus-hit aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, whose crew hailed him as their hero for risking his job to safeguard…

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