Jun 03 Esper reverses plan to send active-duty troops home, says army secretary By Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press The Army says Defense Secretary Mark Esper has overturned an earlier decision to send a couple hundred active-duty soldiers home from the Washington, D.C., region. The decision Wednesday comes amid growing tensions between the White House and the Pentagon over… Continue reading
Jun 03 WATCH: Esper breaks with Trump, opposes using military for protests By Zeke Miller, Jonathan Lemire, Michael Balsamo, Robert Burns, Associated Press Esper says active-duty troops in a law enforcement role should be used in the United States "only in the most urgent and dire of situations," adding, "We are not in one of those situations now."… Continue reading
May 07 Esper, in first trip since March, defends coronavirus efforts By Robert Burns, Associated Press Esper flew to the headquarters of U.S. Northern Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to meet with Gen. Terrence O'Shaughnessy, who is spearheading the military's support for civilian agencies combating the virus. It is Esper's first trip beyond Washington since he… Continue reading
Apr 20 Cautious Pentagon extends troop travel limits through June By Robert Burns, Associated Press The extension reflects that the coronavirus remains a threat to troops even as the Trump administration pushes for some states to begin opening up in May. Continue reading
Mar 19 Watch 11:38 Defense Sec. Mark Esper on mobilizing the U.S. military to fight COVID-19 The U.S. military is gearing up to fight the novel coronavirus, which is spreading rapidly across the U.S. Plans include deployment of hospital ships as overflow for hospitals, allocation of critical medical supplies and research in military labs on development… Continue watching
Mar 02 WATCH: Esper says U.S. to start initial troop pullback from Afghanistan Speaking at a Pentagon news conference Monday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said he was not sure whether the drawdown had begun, but said it is required to start within 10 days of the signing on Saturday of a peace deal… Continue reading
Feb 15 Esper says Taliban deal is promising but not without risk By Robert Burns, Matthew Lee, Associated Press U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Saturday that a truce agreement between the United States and the Taliban that could lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan is not without risk but “looks very promising."… Continue reading
Feb 14 Esper defends shifting defense funds for Trump’s border wall By Robert Burns, Associated Press Trump repeatedly promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but Mexico refused. Continue reading
Feb 13 WATCH: Defense Secretary Esper discusses potential 7-day deal with Taliban By Associated Press Speaking at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Esper said he had had a series of productive bilateral and collective meetings with allies about the proposals and the way forward. Continue reading
Feb 13 Top U.S. officials head to Munich at tense moment for trans-Atlantic relationship By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Strains in the trans-Atlantic relationship have cast doubt on whether they can count on much help from European leaders in advancing Trump's agenda. Continue reading