Mark Esper: podcast appearances and interviews

Mark Thomas Esper, born on April 26, 1964, is an American politician and manufacturing executive. He served as the 27th United States secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, Esper previously held the position of the 23rd secretary of the Army from November 2017 to July 2019. He graduated from West Point and served in the United States Army as an infantry officer; his military career included combat during the Gulf War with the 101st Airborne Division. Esper also served in the 82nd Airborne Division and the Army National Guard. After leaving military service, he took on various roles including chief of staff at the Heritage Foundation, senior congressional staffer, deputy assistant secretary of defense, and senior executive positions at the Aerospace Industries Association, the Global Intellectual Property Center, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Prior to joining the Trump administration, he was vice president of government relations at defense contractor Raytheon. In 2017, Esper became the secretary of the Army and was later appointed acting defense secretary before being confirmed by the Senate with a vote of 90–8. His tenure as defense secretary concluded in November 2020 when he was dismissed by President Donald Trump via Twitter, citing disagreements over the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.