Mark T. Esper
This primary source from U.S. Department of Defense Historical Office supports 2 claims across 2 ledger entries.
All sources · Open original source
Claims supported by this source
- factdocumented
Mark Esper was sworn in as secretary of defense on July 23, 2019, thanked Trump for his confidence, and accepted the appointment in Trump's administration.
Esper is sworn in as Trump's defense secretary · Served as defense secretary from July 2019 through November 2020 · reviewed 2026-09-03
- factdocumented
On November 9, 2020, Donald Trump announced that Mark Esper had been terminated and that Christopher Miller would serve as acting defense secretary effective immediately; Defense Department history records Esper's term ending that day.
Trump announces Esper's immediate termination · Former secretary of defense · reviewed 2026-09-03