President Donald Trump (R) announced that Christopher C. Miller would be acting U.S. Secretary of Defense on Monday, following the termination of Mark Esper.
Christopher C. Miller had been serving as the director of the National Counterterrorism Center since Aug. 10, 2020. Miller previously served as the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism and Transnational Threats at the National Security Council from 2018 to 2019.
Mark Esper had served as the secretary of defense since July 23, 2019, until his termination on Nov. 9, 2020. Trump nominated Esper to the position on July 15, 2019, and the U.S. Senate confirmed him by a vote of 90-8.
