West Point Grad Esper Fields Tough Question on Army-Air Force Game Loyalties

Secretary of the Army, Mark T. Esper, congradulates the West Point football team at the 119th Army-Navy Game in Philadelphia, Pa., Dec. 8, 2018. The Army defeated the Navy for their third year in a row. (U.S. Army/Spc. Dana Clarke)

Military.com | By Richard Sisk

Published September 18, 2019

Before an enthusiastic audience of several hundred airmen, Defense Secretary Mark Esper took the discretion-over-valor route Wednesday when asked who he'd be rooting for in the upcoming Army-Air Force football game.

Unconvincingly, Esper, a West Point graduate (class of '86), a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in Desert Storm and the former Secretary of the Army, professed neutrality on the outcome.

Following his address to the Air Force Association's Air Space & Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, an airman in the packed audience put it to the SecDef: "Please provide comments about the coming Army-Air Force game," scheduled for Nov. 2 at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The audience roared as Esper pondered a response to what he called the "toughest question."

After a long pause, he came up with a version of pure diplo-speak: "I think it will be a very good game. I hope no one is injured, and I hope everybody plays to the fullest potential," he said.

The audience applauded in appreciation of his artful evasion. He added, "That's called a dodge, by the way."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the location of upcoming game.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

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Related Topics: Military Headlines Army AFA Conference College Football United States Military Academy, West Point Mark Esper

Richard Sisk

Richard Sisk has more than 45 years of journalism experience in reporting and editing in the U.S. and abroad for United Press International, the N.Y. Daily News and now for Military.com. He has covered police beats, the courts, transportation and politics in New York City and Washington, D.C., and had numerous assignments in the Mideast, Europe and Latin America. He has covered six presidential campaigns and since 2016 has been Military.com’s Pentagon reporter. Sisk is a Vietnam veteran who served with the 2nd Battalion, Fourth Marines, in 1967-68. Read Full Bio

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