Donald Trump nominates Mark Esper as next US Defense Secretary

US President Donald Trump on Friday confirmed that he has nominated Mark Esper to be the next Defense Secretary of United States. President Donald Trump said on Friday he intends to nominate Army Secretary Mark Esperto be his secretary of defense, the White House said in a statement. Former defense secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down after media reports emerged of domestic violence in his family. Esper will over as acting defense secretary on Monday.

The development comes hours after the president revealed he had come close to authorising a strike on Iran.

Mark Esper's first and most pressing task will be overseeing an expanding presence in the Middle East as tensions with Iran rise and it appears the President and key members of his national security team are at odds over how to respond to Tehran.

Tensions with Iran have increased since the Trump administration withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal last year.

On Thursday night, Trump ordered then canceled strikes on Iran after the Middle Eastern country downed an unmanned US drone. On Friday, the president said he decided not to carry out the strikes after deciding the potential deaths from the attack would not be “proportionate” to losing the drone.

Esper began his career as an Infantry Officer in the 101^st Airborne Division, serving with distinction in the first Gulf War. He later served on active duty in Europe and on the Army Staff in Washington, DC, before transitioning to the National Guard and retiring after 21 years of service, the White House said.

He was an airborne ranger and recipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Meritorious Service Medals, among other awards and qualifications.               

Esper worked on national security issues on Capitol Hill for Senators Chuck Hagel, Fred Thompson, and Majority Leader Bill Frist.

He was also a professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Armed Services Committees, and later a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence.

He is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, Harvard University John F Kennedy School of Government and George Washington University.

Trump also nominated David L Norquist to be Deputy Secretary of Defence and Ryan D McCarthy to be Secretary of the Army.