New acting US defence chief Mark Esper ‘may be tougher on China’
- But Pentagon’s approach expected to remain largely unchanged with appointment
- Along with two decades of military service, Esper is a former chief of staff at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation
China will have to deal with a more hawkish US defence secretary with the appointment of Mark Esper as acting Pentagon chief, but will be hoping military relations between the two powers will remain largely unchanged, analysts said.
Esper replaced Patrick Shanahan – who only took over from previous defence head James Mattis in January – on Wednesday. He attended West Point military academy with Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state and one of the Trump administration’s strongest hawks.
Esper has also revealed a long-term focus on China which predates the shift in US defence strategy to regard the rising power as a direct rival. In an interview in April, he said his views on China had been shaped by “various issues” as he watched its evolution over 20 years.
“We may be a little bit late – we are late – coming to the recognition that we are in a strategic competition with China,” he said.
In addition to more than two decades of military service – which included key roles at the Pentagon and on the US Army Staff, the branch’s senior leadership body – Esper is a former chief of staff at conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, and a top lobbyist for arms maker Raytheon.