President Donald Trump signaled Friday that he will nominate Army secretary Mark Esper as his next Secretary of Defense after Esper took the role in an acting capacity earlier in the week.
The move was made after acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, whose last day was also Friday, unexpectedly dropped out from consideration. Deputy secretary of defense under Shanahan, David Norquist, will remain in that position, and Ryan McCarthy, the Army undersecretary, will take Esper’s place as Army Secretary.
Allegations of domestic violence between Shanahan and his ex-wife and son caused him to withdraw from consideration during background checks for taking the position on a permanent basis.
Shanahan had replaced Jim Mattis as acting secretary after Mattis was asked to step down over a disagreement with Trump for pulling troops out of Syria. Before Shanahan left on Friday, he had Mattis’ portrait installed inside the Pentagon.
Esper’s Rise Through the Ranks
Esper served as an infantry officer, then headed up defense contractor Raytheon before joining the Trump administration as Army secretary in 2017. He was confirmed as Army secretary by the Senate 89-6, but faces an uncertain confirmation process because of the recent shakeup of Trump cabinet positions, according to The Hill.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said earlier this week that Esper was “confirmable” and an “excellent choice” to lead the Pentagon. Other senators also expressed support.
At least one non-partisan agency, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), however, feels that Esper may have been tainted by his lobbying past and position with Raytheon.
Shanahan’s ties to Boeing were similarly investigated earlier in the year, but he was cleared of any ethics violations or conflicts of interest.
Leadership Needed as Iran Tensions Ignite
Recent incidents involving Iran have shown the need for steady leadership in the Defense Department. On Friday, Trump reported that he stopped plans for an airstrike against Iran at the last moment after Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. drone.
Trump has said in the past that having acting cabinet members could be an advantage that provides him more flexibility. After all, acting members haven’t gone through a Senate confirmation process.
But acting cabinet members can also fail to provide the solid leadership needed to navigate the escalating situation in Iran. Furthermore, the Associated Press noted that Esper may only be able to serve in an acting capacity for six weeks because of unspecified rules and court decisions.
The upside is that Esper is well-known on Capitol hill, has already cleared one set of nomination hearings, and is already up to speed on the current situation with Iran.
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