Donald Trump has nominated Mark Esper to be the US Secretary of Defense, the White House said late Friday, as Washington navigates a spike in tensions with Iran. There hasn’t been a full defense secretary since the resignation of James Mattis in December last year after splits in the administration over Trump’s sudden decision to remove US troops from Syria. Esper, who must be confirmed by the Senate, is the third man to lead the Pentagon in six months. He replaces Patrick Shanahan, who also led the military in an acting capacity but this week withdrew his name from consideration for defense secretary after facing questions over his past personal life and an allegation of domestic violence. Esper had been a senior executive at the Raytheon defense firm for seven years when he was tapped by Trump to be Army Secretary in 2017.

Source: Pakistan Today June 22, 2019 05:18 UTC