ADC formally congratulated newly confirmed Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark Esper in a letter sent to his office this week.
The letter sent from recently elected ADC President Joe Driskill expresses the association’s support for the secretary and a shared optimism for building a strong working relationship.
Only last month Esper spoke as a featured guest at ADC’s 2019 Defense Communities National Summit, participating in a keynote discussion session where he emphasized a number of military family and community issues of interest to our membership, as On Base reported.
Esper, previously the Army secretary and a former Army infantry officer, has been a fast-rising leader within DOD and an increasingly visible advocate for the nation’s military service members and their families.
The letter recognizes Esper’s leadership qualities and his growing influence on issues close to ADC’s membership.
“Based on what I have heard from our members around the country, I believe your service as Secretary of the Army has uniquely prepared you to be an excellent leader for our nation’s defense enterprise and a good partner with military communities,” Driskill wrote.
Driskill shared ADC’s perspective on the local issues that impact defense communities and the quality of life for military members and their families.
“ADC understands very well the impact issues such as housing, childcare, spousal employment and military child education have on the readiness of our military,” he wrote. “Our members are working diligently to create great places for service members and their families to call home, and are forging truly innovative partnerships with DOD and the services to address critical quality of life issues at the local level. I believe ADC can be an important resource for your office as you look to address these issues and we offer our support and partnership.”
Driskill also closed with particular emphasis on ADC’s unique position to serve as a vital partner with DOD in helping to address and close the growing military-civilian divide.
“Further, I believe ADC and our members can help you with your goal of bridging the gap between the military and American society. As the communities that host our nation’s military installations, our members are on the front lines of this issue and their successful efforts to close this gap are examples that can be shared with non-military communities across the country.”