Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper Message to the Force on Accomplishments in Implementation of the National Defense Strategy
(WorldNews Environment)

Hello everyone. I am Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. As my one-year anniversary as Defense Secretary nears, I want to take a look back over the past 12 months and thank you for all that we accomplished together. During my confirmation hearing last July, I made clear that my top priority would be implementing the National Defense Strategy, which informs us that we are now in an era of Great Power Competition; and that China, then Russia, constitute our top strategic competitors. To be successful in this new global environment, we must work along three lines of effort: first, improve the lethality and readiness of the force; second, strengthen allies and build partners; and third, reform the...