Epirus announced Tuesday that former Secretary of Defense and two-time Wash100 Award recipient Mark Esper has joined the company's Board of Directors. Esper was the 23rd secretary of the Army from 2017-2019 and the 27th Secretary of Defense from 2019 to 2020.
“We cannot wait for the loss of human life to become the catalyst for change when the technology exists that can stop threats today. Adding a visionary leader like Mark to the Board solidifies our ability to bring to market the technology we need to help protect the U.S. warfighter and develop other new applications of our technology for broad commercial use,” stated Grant Verstandig, Epirus executive chairman and co-founder.
Esper’s appointment strengthens Epirus’s commitment to bring in experienced professionals to its Board of Directors to guide the company through its next phase of development and growth. Grant Verstandig leads the company’s Board of Directors.
As secretary of Defense, Esper led one of the largest, most complex organizations globally with the Department of Defense’s (DOD) nearly 3 million service members and defense civilians with a $740 billion annual budget. During his tenure, Esper oversaw the biggest R&D budget in the DOD’s history, drove spending on cutting-edge technologies, and advanced other initiatives to ensure the U.S. military modernized for the future.
Dr. Esper is currently the first John S. McCain Distinguished Fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University and a member of the Board of Directors at the Atlantic Council. He also served as secretary of the Army, as a senior executive at Raytheon, and executive vice president at U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Epirus stands at the vanguard of those accelerating military and homeland security applications of game-changing technology to disarm drones used to launch lethal attacks against our service members and civilians anytime, anywhere,” commented Esper.
“Addressing emerging threats and challenges was always a priority of mine at the Pentagon and will continue to be going forward. Epirus has proven itself able to rapidly innovate and adapt in ways that can make it a critical partner to the U.S. government and our allies,” concluded Esper.
