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Today, President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate the following individuals to key positions in his Administration:

Mark T. Esper of Virginia to be Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Esper is an Army, Pentagon, and Capitol Hill veteran, who is currently serving as the Secretary of the Army and previously served as a Vice President for Government Relations at the Raytheon Company. Mr. Esper began his career as an Infantry Officer in the 101st Airborne Division, serving with distinction in the first Gulf War. He later served on active duty in Europe and on the Army Staff in Washington, D.C., before transitioning to the National Guard and retiring after 21 years of service. He was an airborne ranger and recipient of the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, and Meritorious Service Medals, among other awards and qualifications. Mr. Esper worked on national security issues on Capitol Hill for Senators Chuck Hagel, Fred Thompson, and Majority Leader Bill Frist. He was also a professional staff member on the Senate Foreign Relations and House Armed Services Committees, and later a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense. Mr. Esper’s private-sector experience includes service as an Executive Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Policy Director for Fred Thompson for President during the 2008 campaign, and Executive Vice President of the Aerospace Industries Association of America. Mr. Esper is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, and George Washington University.

David L. Norquist of Virginia to be Deputy Secretary of Defense.

Mr. Norquist currently performs the duties of the Deputy Secretary of Defense and serves as the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Norquist previously served as a Partner with Kearney and Company, a Certified Public Accounting firm. He has 29 years of experience in Federal financial management beginning as a Federal employee in 1989 with the Department of the Army. He has also served on the professional staff of the House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Defense, and as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense in the Office of the Comptroller. He was the first Senate-confirmed Chief Financial Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, where he established a formal process to eliminate pervasive weaknesses in DHS’s financial statement and put the Department on its path to a clean audit opinion.  Mr. Norquist attended the University of Michigan, where he received both a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master of Public Policy. He also received a Master of Arts in National Security Studies from Georgetown University.  He is a Certified Government Financial Manager (CGFM).

Ryan D. McCarthy of Illinois to be Secretary of the Army.

Mr. McCarthy most recently served as the Under Secretary of the Army. Prior to his service in the Administration, Mr. McCarthy served as the Vice President of the Sustainment Program for the F-35 Program at the Lockheed Martin Corporation. At Lockheed Martin, he has held a variety of roles on the F-35 Program and at the Corporate Office. In addition, he served as Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and as a professional staff member on the House Committee on International Relations. Earlier in his career, he worked as the Vice President of Commercial Financing for the Hong Kong Shanghai Bank Corporation and proudly served in the 75th Ranger Regiment during the invasion of Afghanistan. McCarthy is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute and has a Master in Business Administration from the University of Maryland.