{"id":54450,"date":"2019-07-23T15:53:09","date_gmt":"2019-07-23T15:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2019\/07\/23\/there-should-be-a-new-secdef-by-tuesday-night\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:53:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:53:58","slug":"there-should-be-a-new-secdef-by-tuesday-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2019\/07\/23\/there-should-be-a-new-secdef-by-tuesday-night\/","title":{"rendered":"There should be a new SECDEF by Tuesday night"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the Senate set to vote<\/a> on the Trump administration\u2019s latest nominee for Pentagon chief midday Tuesday, current Army Secretary Mark Esper<\/a> is on track to assume the Defense Department\u2019s top job<\/a> come evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following confirmation, Esper will officially be in the job as soon as President Trump signs his appointment letter, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters Tuesday. Swearing in is set for early evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlanning for a ceremonial swearing-in is ongoing,\u201d Hoffman said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Ahead of his expected confirmation as Secretary of Defense, Mark Esper sparred with Senator Elizabeth Warren over his past background in the defense industry.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

Esper\u2019s confirmation ends eight months of uncertainty at DoD, following the late December departure of then-Defense Secretary James Mattis, a near-universally admired former Marine Corps four-star general and national security scholar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His deputy, Patrick Shanahan, had been slated to take over this summer, but allegations of domestic abuse made in his 2011 divorce filings scuttled his nomination as he prepared for a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper, who has lead the Army department since late 2017, stepped in as acting SECDEF for three weeks leading up to his own confirmation hearing. Navy Secretary Richard Spencer has been serving as the acting Pentagon chief since July 15, as federal law prohibits officials from serving in an acting role while also being nominated for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Esper has received praise from both sides of the aisle, though he went head-to-head with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, during his July 16 confirmation hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to returning to public service as Army secretary, Esper worked as a lobbyist for defense contractor Raytheon.<\/p>\n\n\n\t