The Chinese Communist Party is looking closely at the war in Ukraine. And what it can learn from that conflict for its own dealings with Taiwan. If Beijing opts to invade the island—the U.S. would likely be Taiwan’s most important partner. But is Washington prepared to take on that potential role? Former U.S. Defense Secretary […]
A former secretary of defense filed a lawsuit over the weekend alleging the Pentagon is unlawfully blocking material from his pending memoir. Mark Esper, who headed the Department of Defense for about 18 months during the Trump administration, says the Pentagon is trying to censor unclassified information. Esper submitted a manuscript to the agency about […]
At President Donald Trump’s command, Christopher Miller has replaced Mark Esper as the acting secretary of defense. Miller was previously the director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He was responsible for overseeing the employment of special operations forces in counterterrorism, unconventional warfare, and irregular warfare.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday said North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs remain a global threat, after Pyongyang’s unveiling of previously unseen intercontinental ballistic missiles at a predawn military parade. The appearance of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during a weekend parade in North Korea captivated many Western analysts. But officials in […]
Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday said that the Pentagon plans to have over 500 Navy ships in its fleet by 2045 to counter China’s growing military ambitions and other threats. Esper mentioned the objective while outlining a broader naval force roadmap, dubbed “Battle Force 2045,” in remarks at a virtual event hosted by the […]
China and Russia have introduced weapons to space, including killer satellites, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Wednesday. “In space, Moscow and Beijing have turned a once peaceful arena into a warfighting domain,” Esper said. “They have weaponized space through killer satellites, directed energy weapons, and more in an effort to exploit our systems and […]
In the South China Sea, the Chinese military sent a threat to the United States by firing four medium-range ballistic missiles into the water. This happened as the Trump administration passed sanctions on 24 Chinese companies for their role in helping the regime build militarized artificial islands in the region. US commander of the Navy […]
WASHINGTON—No nation is too small or too distant from Washington, it seems, to be excluded from the Trump administration’s campaign to counter China’s efforts to supplant America as the dominant Pacific power. Evidence of this is Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s decision to fly nearly halfway around the world partly so he can spend several hours […]
Following reports claiming that President Donald Trump is looking to remove Defense Secretary Mark Esper after the election, the White House didn’t directly refute the allegations but said that it has no new announcements on personnel. The reports alleged that Trump wasn’t pleased with Esper’s response after the president sought to deploy military troops to […]
The United States plans to cut its troop levels in Afghanistan to “a number less than 5,000” by the end of November, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview broadcast on Saturday, adding detail to drawdown plans U.S. President Donald Trump announced earlier this week. The United States currently has about 8,600 troops in […]
U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper framed the Chinese regime as “Pentagon’s top concern” on Feb. 15, saying that Beijing’s aggressive commercial and military postures have posed a challenge to the world. “The Communist Party and its associated organs … are increasingly operating in theaters outside its borders, including Europe, and seeking advantage by any means, […]
