The Senate confirmed Mark Esper to become the next permanent secretary of defense on Tuesday by a landslide vote, ending months of uncertainty about the Pentagon’s leadership.
Esper, who previously served as Army secretary since 2017, was confirmed by a vote of 90-8 Tuesday afternoon. Eight Democrats voted against his confirmation, and two senators – Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) – did not vote.
Esper was sworn in later Tuesday. He is the first permanent defense secretary since former Secretary Jim Mattis was forced to resign early on Dec. 31, 2018. Former Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan took over as acting defense secretary Jan. 1 until how own abrupt resignation on June 23.
Esper then served as acting defense secretary until his nomination was formally sent to the Senate on July 15, at which point Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer took over the acting secretary role until Esper was confirmed Tuesday.
The eight Democrats who voted against Esper’s confirmation included five presidential candidates: Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
In written testimony for his confirmation hearing last week, Esper said the $30-year, $1 trillion modernization and maintenance program for the U.S. nuclear arsenal is “sufficient to support the full modernization of the nuclear triad.”
Esper was critical of the U.S.-Russian New START treaty, signed during the Obama administration, which limits both nations to deploying no more than 1,550 strategic nuclear warheads on 700 fielded delivery systems. The accord, among other weaknesses, “does not capture Russia’s improving and increasing arsenal of nonstrategic nuclear weapons,” Esper stated.
Still, Esper wrote, “New START Treaty extension could potentially fit into a new arms control framework provided the net result improves the security of the United States and of our allies and partners.”
The treaty will expire in February 2021, but can be extended for five years.
