
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) has agreed to hold a nomination hearing for Army Secretary Mark Esper to become the next Secretary of Defense next week, in an effort to get a permanent leader installed at the Pentagon as soon as possible, committee leaders said July 11. The committee has received pre-nomination paperwork from the White House regarding Esper’s nomination, said a joint statement released Thursday from SASC Chairman Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-R.I.). Members…