"The choice of tactical priorities": how can the US course change with the arrival of Mark Esper to the post of head of the Pentagon

Mark Esper officially took office as head of the US Department of Defense, according to the White House.

“No one has the qualifications to lead the Pentagon like Mark Esper,” said US President Donald Trump during the new minister’s oath-taking ceremony.

For the first time since December of last year, the Pentagon was headed by a permanent leader. The day before, Esper’s candidacy was approved by the Senate of the United States Congress, an overwhelming majority voted for him — 90 lawmakers, 8 were against.

Earlier, on July 15, Trump nominated Mark Esper for the post of Minister of Defense, sending a notification to the Senate.

Recall Esper took up the duties of the head of the Pentagon from June 24, replacing Patrick Shanahan. Prior to that, Mark Esper was the United States Army Secretary for more than a year and a half.

As the Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, noted, Esper’s “impressive” track record. The new minister in the past is a professional military man, says his biography posted on the US Army website. He participated in an armed conflict on the territory of Iraq in 1991, as an officer of the 101st airborne division, after which he went to the reserve. In the civil service, he worked at the Heritage Foundation's analytical center and the Raytheon military-industrial company, where he held the post of vice-president for relations with state bodies. Under the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush, Esper became Deputy Head of the Secretary of Defense, responsible for developing negotiating plans and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons.

Trump spent a very long time looking for a candidate for the post of head of the defense department, and Esper just “turned up his arm,” said Vladimir Bruter, an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies.

“In this case, the appointment of Esper does not play a special role, since in this post there were also figures with similar ideas and background. All of them have military experience and should impress people capable of dictating Washington’s decisions to the whole world, ”said the analyst in a conversation with RT.

At the same time, according to HSE professor Dmitry Yevstafyev, for the President of the United States to declare that he has appointed a man of genius to a leading position is a kind of ritual.

“Trump dedicated eulogies to everyone he brought to power. And later he sent some to resign, as they turned out to be completely incompetent, ”the expert explained in an interview with RT.

• The headquarters of the US Department of Defense
• Reuters

Evstafiev added that by appointing Esper as head of the Pentagon, Trump shows everyone, including the American elite, “the degree of his operational freedom — he appoints who he wants and when he pleases.” At the same time, the professor noted that the post of the head of the Pentagon is "firing".

“The US Secretary of Defense is a person who is faced with the need to be present when making global political decisions of the White House, without having a direct opportunity to influence this process,” the analyst explained.

However, Esper is able to focus Washington’s attention on aspects of national security policy, or vice versa, to divert some issues into the shadow, Evstafiev believes. In addition, he will "settle the largest military budget in US history."

“He will have to reckon with serious economic interests that are not always friendly to Trump. It is for this reason that no one was particularly eager for the post of defense minister, ”said the expert.

"Political appointee"

As analysts say, despite the contradictory positions in the American establishment on foreign policy, Esper will try to take into account the interests of all parties.

Recall that during the resignation of US Secretary of Defense James Mattis in December last year, details of this kind of controversy surfaced. Mattis then explained his resignation by the fact that there was considerable disagreement between his position and the course of the head of the White House. Then he appealed to Trump with the request to remove him from his post and advised the American president to find a candidate for the post of head of the Pentagon, who would share his views.

“Since you have the right to the Secretary of Defense, whose views are more similar to yours on these and other issues, I think I have the right to resign from my post,” wrote Mattis in a letter to the US President.

However, the views of Trump do not always agree with the position of his entourage. Thus, at the end of June, the American leader refused to attack Iranian facilities, despite the entreaties of his national security advisers. This was reported by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, citing sources.

“These people want to draw us into the war, and this is disgusting,” the publication quotes the head of the White House.

As Vladimir Bruter notes, when an adviser to the president like John Bolton makes sharp statements against Iran, allegedly contradicting the ideas of the head of the White House, the classic “evil and good policeman” scheme works.

• Former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis
• Reuters
• © Yuri Gripas

“It lies in the fact that at first Washington scares his opponent, and then the US president demonstrates his“ kindness ”and declares that he could have bombed the enemy, but he will not do that,” the expert explained.

Bruter also added that Esper is closer to Bolton in his views, but he will not aggravate the situation around Iran, since there are certain rules of the game set by the American president.

According to Dmitry Yevstafyev, Esper, although he became Minister of Defense, is still a “political appointee” who depends on the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Pentagon’s professional military unit and the position formed by the intelligence community of the US Department of Defense.

“He will try to take into account the interests of all these structures and not contradict them,” the analyst believes.

The overall strategy has long been chosen.

At the end of June, during a press conference following a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels, Esper said that Russia and China would remain strategic rivals of the United States in the long term.

“The US National Defense Strategy is still our directive document. It says that we are living in a new era of great power competition. Russia and China remain our competitors in the long term. Second: the task of the ministry (defense. - RT ) is still clear - to contain conflicts, and if necessary - to fight and win on the battlefield, ”he said.

And shortly before taking office, Esper made a statement that the growing threats from China and Russia require that Washington's attention be redirected to training and equipping the armed forces for "high-intensity conflicts, particularly in outer space and cyberspace." At the same time, Esper noted that the US military must also be prepared to respond to regional threats from Iran, North Korea and terrorist groups in various parts of the world.

"Our opponents should consider diplomacy as the best option for themselves, because war with the United States will cost them dearly," said Esper during the hearings on the approval of the candidate for the post of head of the Pentagon on the US Senate Armed Forces Committee.

According to Vladimir Brutera, Esper will continue his rhetoric against Russia and China as US Secretary of Defense.

“He will again and again declare Moscow and Beijing the main enemies of Washington, because these countries do not agree to pursue a policy that the White House would like to impose on them. The United States will demonstrate the presence of enemies in order to increase arms costs, ”the expert said.

Bruter also believes that Esper’s appointment as head of the Pentagon will have little effect on US foreign policy.

“Since Esper will be guided by the actions of Bolt, the State Department and the White House, he has no vision of his own,” the analyst emphasized.

• US military
• Reuters
• © Shamil Zhumatov

At the same time, the training of American servicemen for high-intensity conflicts, the need for which Esper claims, never stopped, Bruter said.

“For the USA, an increase in the military budget is a standard course of action. And the statements of Esper of this kind are intended only to emphasize the need for the readiness of the American armed forces for military operations, ”the analyst explained.

As Dmitry Evstafiev believes, Esper can change the course of Washington only from a tactical point of view, since the overall strategy has long been chosen.

“All the major programs related to the development of strategic weapons have already been launched and will be implemented to some extent in the next 5-7 years, regardless of who will be the US Secretary of Defense. The policy of increasing the American potential in the field of strategic and nuclear weapons will be implemented in any case. For Esper, the main question is only the choice of tactical priorities, ”the expert concluded.