Former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has been named the McCain Institute’s first John S. McCain Distinguished Fellow.
The think tank, named after the late Sen. John McCain, announced Esper’s appointment on Thursday. He served as Pentagon chief from July 2019 until he was fired by former President Donald Trump via Twitter just days after Trump was defeated in the 2020 presidential election.
The McCain Institute, which is based in Washington, D.C., and partners with Arizona State University, said in a news release that during his time in government, Esper “dealt with the unique challenges posed by the rising economic, military and technological capabilities of the People’s Republic of China and the People’s Liberation Army.”
In his new role, Esper will lead a bipartisan team to discuss and promote policy solutions to national security issues with decision-makers in the White House and in Congress, the institute said.
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“The discussions will center around four key principles: modernizing our armed forces, strengthening and expanding our alliances and regional relationships, reinvigorating America’s soft power globally by supporting our diplomatic and development assistance initiatives, and utilizing a whole-of-government approach alongside our allies to counter China,” the news release said.
Trump’s animus toward Esper became inflamed in June of last year when the Pentagon chief opposed the former president’s wish to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and use active-duty troops for crowd control in cities grappling with violent protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
Trump was known for his disdain for McCain, who was captured and tortured in Vietnam while serving in the Navy, a fact that Trump used to claim McCain wasn’t a “war hero” during the 2016 campaign. Several months after McCain’s 2018 death, the former president reiterated that he was “never a fan” of the Arizona Republican.
McCain’s widow, Cindy McCain, who endorsed President Biden in the November election, praised Esper’s appointment to her husband’s namesake institute and said she was “very pleased” to welcome him.
Esper highlighted the threat China poses to the United States in a statement accompanying his appointment.
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“Any effective approach to the rise of China will need to reflect American values, be bipartisan and have the weight of the entire U.S. government and our allies behind it,” Esper said. “These are hallmark characteristics of Senator McCain, and I look forward to tackling this important work at the McCain Institute.”
