SNG Day 1 Dinner Event and Keynote With Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper
Following our reception, join us for our on-site dinner and keynote, featuring The Honorable Mark T. Esper, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Esper’s background – from his time as a veteran, working in the defense industry, Secretary of the U.S. Army (2017-2019), to his role as the 27th U.S. Secretary of Defense – allows him to speak with great insights on elements such as global military conflicts, nation-state competition, counter-terror, civil unrest and political turmoil.
Your SNG registration includes the dinner keynote experience.
Speaker
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The Honorable Mark T. EsperFormer U.S. Secretary of DefenseDr. Mark T. Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in July 2019 when he was confirmed in an overwhelming 90-8 vote by the U.S. Senate in rare bipartisan fashion. Esper went on to successfully lead the Defense Department through an unprecedented time in the nation’s history: from conflict with Iran, an ongoing military campaign in Afghanistan, and counter-terrorist operations in the Middle East; to open competition with China and Russia amidst a fundamental shift in the geo-strategic environment. And from the greatest civil unrest and political turmoil America has seen in decades, to a major recession and the spread of a global pandemic the world had not experienced in over one hundred years, all while dealing with an unpredictable White House. Dr. Esper’s memoir, A Sacred Oath: Memoirs of a Secretary of Defense During Extraordinary Times, chronicles this turbulent and critical period of modern American history and was an instant New York Times Bestseller.
Dr. Esper graduated from West Point with distinction in 1986 and received his commission in the Infantry. During 10 years on active duty, he served in the 101st Airborne Division and participated in the Gulf War with the “Screaming Eagles,” and later commanded an airborne rifle company in Europe in what is now the 173d Airborne Brigade. He then served another eleven years in the National Guard and Army Reserve. From 1996 to 1998, Dr. Esper was chief of staff at The Heritage Foundation think tank, and later served in senior positions on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senate Government Affairs Committee, and House Armed Services Committee. Esper was Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy from 2002 to 2004 and National Security Advisor for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist from 2004 to 2006.
Prior to becoming Defense Secretary, Dr. Esper served as the 23rd Secretary of the Army from November 2017 until June 2019. In this capacity, he was responsible for over 1.5 million active, Guard, and Reserve Soldiers and Army civilians, a budget of $180 billion annually, and all aspects of leading the world’s most capable ground combat force. Dr. Esper also served for and within some of the largest and most influential U.S. defense firms and trade groups, and he brings a perspective that balances national security, technology leadership and savvy political navigation.
