Introduction: A meeting like no other -- First days, early warnings -- An army renaissance -- War with Iran begins in Iraq -- Civilian control and reform of the Pentagon -- Tehran escalates -- America strikes -- The politics of building a better navy -- The Afghanistan dilemma -- COVID: a tragic, epic fight -- Operation Warp Speed -- Desperate measures -- The republic wobbles -- A walk in the park -- Hard days and long nights -- Making lemonade -- A salute to America? -- Pride, promotions, and politics -- Lost causes and important ones -- China, China, China -- America's strategic advantage -- Unrest in the northwest -- October surprises -- Endgame -- Epilogue -- Appendix A: The army vision -- Appendix B: June 24, 2019, initial message to the department -- Appendix C: June 2, 2020, message to the department, support to civil authorities -- Appendix D: June 3, 2020, press conference in the Pentagon briefing room -- Appendix E: November 9, 2020, final message to the department -- Appendix F: November 9, 2020, letter to the president -- Appendix G: January 6, 2021, tweets regarding the assault on Capitol Hill -- Appendix H: January 3, 2021, Washington Post opinion piece authored by the ten living former Secretaries of Defense

"Former Secretary of Defense Mark T. Esper reveals the shocking details of his tumultuous tenure while serving in the Trump administration. From June of 2019 until his firing by President Trump after the November 2020 election, Secretary Mark T. Esper led the Department of Defense through an unprecedented time in history--a period marked by growing threats and conflict abroad, a global pandemic unseen in a century, the greatest domestic unrest in two generations, and a White House seemingly bent on breaking accepted norms and conventions for political advantage. A Sacred Oath is Secretary Esper's unvarnished and candid memoir of those extraordinary and dangerous times, and includes events and moments never before told."--Publisher's website