And then there are my focus priorities, which get to the here and now, and those are three things, readiness, modernization, and reform.

So I think over the next few years, several years, you'll see more equipment coming to the field to the soldiers.

Whether you're in an infantry squad, you'll see new night vision goggles, better protective equipment,

and in a couple years you'll see, you know, new rifles being introduced to the Army.

Hey, welcome back to another episode of the Modern War Institute podcast. I'm John Amble, editorial director at MWI.

And for this episode, I had the opportunity to spend some time speaking

with Secretary of the Army Mark Esper. As the senior most civilian official in the Department

of the Army, his vision for the service and his priorities will shape the way the Army manns, trains,

and equips over the coming years. And we'll talk about that vision and those priorities,

but he also has experience

as an active duty army officer and later in both the Army Reserve and the National Guard.

We're going to hear how those experiences really influence the perspective he brings to his

current job. Before we get to the conversation, just a couple quick notes. Hopefully

you're already subscribed to the MWI podcast. If not, you can find us on

iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. And if you like what you hear, please take

just a few moments and leave us a rating or give us a review. It really helps us to get the word out

to new listeners. And second, as always, what you hear in this episode are the views of the participants

and don't represent those of West Point, the Army, or any other agency of the U.S. government.

All right, here's my conversation with Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper.

Sir, thank you so much for making some time for this episode of the Modern War Institute podcast.

I want to ask you, you are now the senior most civilian official in the Department of the Army, but your experience with the Army

goes back to West Point. You were a 1986 graduate. Can you talk a little bit about how your

...