The Trump-era Pentagon head says he wants to publish an "unvarnished" account of his turbulent time in the post. But the Biden administration wants him to delete parts of 60 pages of the text.

Secretary Esper has kept a letter of resignation on hand since the summer, when he and the president disagreed over the use of active duty troops to put down street protests.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper and his Chinese counterpart lectured one another in a 90-minute call as the highest level U.S. delegation in four decades plans a provocative visit to Taiwan.

Esper calls the actions "a necessary first step" but says he has "no illusions" that these initial changes will fully address the concerns he has heard from many service members.