Senate easily confirms new secretary of the Army

By Chris Eger

Dr. Mark Esper was confirmed by a vote in the Senate, 89-6, to become the 23rd secretary of the Army (Photo: U.S. Senate)
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday confirmed West Point alumni and former defense contractor executive Mark T. Esper as President Trump’s nomination for civilian head of the Army.
Esper was given an easy 89-6 approval by the Senate last week after being favorably reported by the Armed Services Committee earlier this month. The approval fills a spot left vacant for most of the year after the departure of Eric Fanning, President Obama’s Secretary of the Army, in January.
A former vice president of government relations at Raytheon, Esper graduated near the top of his class at U.S. Military Academy and reached the rank of lieutenant colonel in the military which included service in the First Gulf War with the 101st Airborne Division which resulted in a Bronze Star. Since then, he has been a Congressional staffer and served in President George W. Bush’s administration as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, picking up a master’s degree from Harvard and a doctorate from George Washington University along the way while remaining in the Virginia National Guard until 2007.
During his confirmation process, Esper,

Source: Guns.com