Mark Esper
Mark Esper is the 27th US Secretary of Defense. Esper was nominated by President Donald Trump on July 15, 2019, and confirmed and sworn in on July 23, 2019. Previously he was Secretary of the Army from 2017 to 2019. Esper replaced Patrick M. Shanahan as acting defense secretary and James Mattis as defense secretary.
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Mar- 2020 -17 MarchAmericas
US Navy readies hospital ships ahead of Coronavirus wave
The US Navy is preparing to deploy its two hospital ships – USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort – to relieve pressure on hospitals caused by COVID-19
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2 MarchMiddle East
US to begin Afghanistan drawdown as Kabul, Taliban deadlock ahead of peace talks
Afghanistan's government and the Taliban are deadlocked on a prisoner swap ahead of peace talks, but the US will start pulling out troops anyway
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Feb- 2020 -12 FebruaryAfrica
US to deploy specialized military advisors to Africa amid strategic review
The US Army is sending the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade to train local security forces in Africa, relieving 101st Airborne elements
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Jan- 2020 -31 JanuaryAfrica
Africa offers US a ‘competitive edge’ over Russia and China, Townsend says
US AFRICOM commander Stephen Townsend said the US military presence in Africa should remain as part of the strategy to counter Russia and China
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28 JanuaryAfrica
Esper: Europe should ‘offset’ changes in US support for France’s West Africa mission
US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said Europe could 'offset any changes' in future support for France's counter-terror mission in Africa's Sahel region
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27 JanuarySpace
France to conduct joint space exercises with US, Parly says
The US and France will conduct joint exercises in preparation for the militarization of space, France's Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said
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27 JanuaryAsia Pacific
US Air Force E-11A aircraft crashes in Ghazni province, Afghanistan
A E-11A aircraft bearing US Air Force markings crashed in a Taliban-held area of Ghazni province in Afghanistan
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7 JanuaryMiddle East
Counter-ISIS Coalition countries temporarily withdrawing personnel from Iraq
Members of the US-led Coalition against ISIS are pulling troops from Iraq as training of both the Iraqi Security Forces and Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga are paused
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6 JanuaryMiddle East
‘Draft’ letter saying US forces to leave Iraq was sent by ‘mistake,’ Milley says
Troops from US-led Coalition against ISIS are preparing to leave Iraq in the wake of an airstrike that killed an Iranian general and Iraqi militia commander
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Dec- 2019 -31 December
US sending additional forces to protect embassy personnel in Iraq
The US is sending additional military personnel to support staff at the American embassy in Iraq, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said
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