In recent months, the Biden Administration has made re-engaging with our Indo-Pacific partners a top foreign policy priority. To further the conversation on this issue, the McCain Institute seeks to convene experts to discuss related to the United States’ Indo-Pacific security partnerships and how they address some of the most pressing challenges of our time—a rising China, increasing international authoritarianism, the global plague of disinformation, etc.
This event was the sixth of the public conversation series between Dr. Mark T. Esper, the John McCain Distinguished Fellow and former U.S. Secretary of Defense, and experts on various issues related to challenges and threats to U.S. national security.
Dr. Mark T. Esper became the 27th Secretary of Defense in July 2019 when he was confirmed 90-8 by the U.S. Senate. As Defense Secretary, Esper was responsible for ensuring the United States’ national security, protecting the American people at home and abroad, and advancing the country’s interests globally. In this capacity, he led one of the largest, most complex organizations in the world given its nearly 3 million service members and defense civilians, $740 billion annual budget, and trillions of dollars of weapons, equipment, and infrastructure located at 4,800 sites in over 160 countries. Esper’s broad scope of responsibilities ranged from organizing, manning, training and equipping the joint force, to the research and development of future weapons, concepts, and equipment; and from defense trade, diplomacy, and cybersecurity, to healthcare, hospitals, housing, and schools. During his tenure, Esper developed key relationships with senior officials throughout the Executive Branch, Members of Congress, major business and philanthropic leaders, and a wide range of international partners. Read his full bio here.
Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu is the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of the R.O.C (Taiwan). Previously he held positions with the Office of the President, National Security Council and Democratic Progressive Party, serving as Secretary-General of each. Dr. Wu holds a BA in Political Science from National Chengchi University, an MA in Political Science from University of Missouri-St. Louis and a PhD in Political Science from The Ohio State University. Read his full bio here.