Mark Esper

“Having previously served in the regular Army, National Guard, and Reserve, I understand well the sacrifices our service members, civilians, and their families make to protect this great country.”

“If you talk to any senior Army leaders, you'll find one, if not all, their children are in the Army.”

“At the end of the day, the Army is a standards-based organization.”

“At the age of 18, I went to West Point, and I swore an oath to defend this Constitution, and I embraced a motto called duty and honor and country. And I've lived my life in accordance with those values ever since then.”

“I think, generally, the NCOs and officers in a platoon or company want to take care of their soldiers, and they understand it doesn't run from nine to five, like in the civilian world.”

“Good alliances are made of strong, capable partners.”

“Stay focused on your mission, remain steadfast in your pursuit of excellence, and always do the right thing.”

“We closely track the systems Boeing builds for us, and they're some very capable systems. So that's been my focus. It is something that I look at every month. I look at the metrics for all major combat systems and our platforms, which Boeing builds many, and they're successful platforms.”

“The National Defense Strategy remains our guiding document, and everything we do should support its stated objectives.”

“In my day, we had mastered high-intensity conflict, which is why I think we were so successful in Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and then eventually the 2003 invasion of Iraq.”

“If confirmed, my overall guiding objective for our relationship with India would be to solidify an enduring strategic partnership underpinned by strong defence cooperation with an Indian military able to collaborate effectively with the United States to address shared interests.”

“Together, we will remain the most ready and capable military force in the world, which is what our nation expects and deserves.”

“Our adversaries must see diplomacy as their best option because war with the United States will force them to bear enormous costs.”