Mark T. Esper, Ph.D.
Dr. Mark T. Esper is the executive vice president of the Global Intellectual Property Center. Previously, he was a senior scholar at the National Institute for Public Policy and an independent consultant. Until February 2008, Esper served as the national policy director for the Fred Thompson 2008 Presidential Campaign. Esper also served as the candidate’s national security advisor.
Before joining the Thompson Campaign, Esper was executive vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) of America, the premier trade organization representing the nation’s aerospace and defense industry. In addition to his duties as COO, Esper was responsible for AIA’s defense and international policy offices.
Esper served a number of years on Capitol Hill. His last assignment was director of National Security Affairs for Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN). Earlier in his career, he was policy director for the House Armed Services Committee and a senior professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. In each of these positions, he was responsible for a national security portfolio that included a wide variety of foreign policy, trade, intelligence, and defense issues.
From 2002 to 2004, Esper served as the deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Negotiations Policy at the Pentagon. He was responsible for all arms control, nonproliferation, international agreements, U.N. matters, and related issues for the Defense Department. He led teams of negotiators in Geneva; assisted in delegations to allied capitals; and represented the department on Capitol Hill, in U.S. government agencies, and in the media. For his service at the Pentagon, Esper was awarded the Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Other positions Esper held include serving as the legislative director and senior policy advisor for Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and as chief of staff at The Heritage Foundation, a renowned Washington-based think tank.
Esper is a retired Army lieutenant colonel and infantry officer who served for more than a decade on active duty, including a combat tour in Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War. His last active duty assignment was as a strategy and policy analyst and Asia planning officer at the Pentagon. During his time in uniform, Esper received a number of awards, including the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medals, and Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Esper is a distinguished graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He earned an M.P.A. from the JFK School of Government at Harvard University and his Ph.D. from The George Washington University.
