{"id":20232,"date":"2019-09-16T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-09-16T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/09\/16\/esper-can-and-must-lead-bold-reform-at-the-pentagon\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:55:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:55:19","slug":"esper-can-and-must-lead-bold-reform-at-the-pentagon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2019\/09\/16\/esper-can-and-must-lead-bold-reform-at-the-pentagon\/","title":{"rendered":"Esper can \u2014 and must \u2014 lead bold reform at the Pentagon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the past year, I\u2019ve talked a lot about the National Defense Strategy and what it means for our national security policy. I\u2019ve been clear that the commission report is my blueprint \u2014 what I am using to guide the Senate Armed Services Committee as we focus on repairing readiness and aligning the services for the new era of strategic competition with China and Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to catch up with China and Russia \u2014 and to stay competitive in the future \u2014 the Pentagon must reform, even as it rebuilds, by setting clear priorities and modernizing the way it does business. The Department of Defense has a lot of work to do \u2014 and quickly \u2014 if we\u2019re going to meet the report\u2019s goal of pursuing \u201curgent change at significant scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, the Senate Armed Services Committee worked diligently to execute an expedited, but thorough, confirmation process for Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Deputy Secretary David Norquist. We wanted confirmed leadership in place so we can continue making progress in implementing the National Defense Strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\t