Mark Esper
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Mark Thomas Esper is an American politician and manufacturing executive who served as the 27th United States secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously served as the 23rd U.S. secretary of the Army from November 2017 to July 2019.
Esper in 2019
Esper in 2008
Esper championed the return of the Army's iconic "pinks and greens" uniform from World War II as a way to increase morale and pride in the service.
Mark Esper talks with Soldiers of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, during their rotation to the National Training Center. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandy N. Mejia)
United States Secretary of Defense
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The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high-ranking member of the federal cabinet. The secretary of defense's position of command and authority over the military is second only to that of the president of the United States, who is the commander-in-chief. This position corresponds to what is generally known as a defense minister in many other countries. The secretary of defense is appointed by the president with the advice and consent of the Senate, and is by custom a member of the Cabinet and by law a member of the National Security Council.
United States Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld is sworn in as Secretary of Defense by Associate Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart as U.S. President Gerald R. Ford and Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff General George S. Brown watch at The Pentagon on November 20, 1975.
Department of Defense organizational chart (December 2013)
Image: James Forrestal Sec Of Def