With Esper, Pentagon Inherits an Army Veteran Long Focused on China

With Esper, Pentagon Inherits an Army Veteran Long Focused on China
U.S. Army Secretary Mark Esper announces that Austin, Texas, will be the new headquarters for the Army Futures Command during a news conference at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia on July 13, 2018. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
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WASHINGTON—In the opinion of Army Secretary Mark Esper, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. military, Washington was late to recognize that America will be locked in a strategic competition with China for years to come.

Esper says he was focused on Beijing’s growing military might long before the Pentagon rolled out a National Defense Strategy in 2018 that prioritized competition with China and Russia over counter-insurgencies in places like Afghanistan.