White House to name Mark Esper as Army secretary

President Trump is poised to nominate a defense industry executive to the Army's top civilian post, according to a July 19 announcement.

Mark Esper, vice president of government relations at Raytheon, is the third individual tapped for the post. The president's two prior selections for Army secretary, billionaire Vincent Viola and Tennessee state lawmaker Mark Green, withdrew from consideration. Viola backed out following a formal nomination, while Green withdrew before a nomination was transmitted to the Senate.

The president's nominee for Army under secretary, Lockheed Martin executive Ryan McCarthy, faced the Senate Armed Services Committee during a July 12 hearing.

Before joining Raytheon, Esper served as a vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Aerospace Industries Association.

In a break with his predecessors, Esper has experience in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill, having served as a congressional leadership and committee staffer and as a deputy assistant secretary of defense.

A 1986 graduate of the United States Military Academy, Esper holds a bachelor of science in engineering. He earned a master's degree in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and a doctorate in public policy from George Washington University.

Following active duty service that included deployment to Iraq during the Persian Gulf War, Esper transitioned to the Army National Guard, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Esper could face opposition from Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-AZ), who has expressed frustration with the number of Defense Department nominees from the "big five" defense contractors.