Newly confirmed Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper on Wednesday said the latest European push to protect and defend ships traveling through several Middle Eastern waterways is a “complementary” effort to moves by the U.S. military to confront Iran.

Mr. Esper, who was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in to his new role on Tuesday, told reporters at the Pentagon that Britain is “trying to pursue something” that would parallel the U.S. defense strategy in the region, amid soaring tensions with Iran.

Over the weekend, U.S. officials announced Operation Sentinel, seeking to enlist allies to provide military escorts to non-Iranian commercial oil vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz and elsewhere in the Persian Gulf. Dozens of nations around the world rely on oil transported through the Gulf from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.

Mr. Esper’s comments come less than a week after Iran claimed it seized a British oil tanker traveling through the vital Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Iran, citing what Tehran said was “non-compliance with international maritime laws and regulations.”

The move has prompted Britain to consider hitting Iran with new economic sanctions as the U.S. mulls over imposing sanctions of its own following several clashes with the Iranian military. The U.S. and its allies have been divided on how to approach Tehran since President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed punishing economic sanctions.

Mr. Esper on Wednesday said the latest effort to deter Iranian aggression is focused on maintaining freedom of navigation in the region.

“Whether we do that as one big group or subgroups, as long as it complements one another, there will clearly be coordination between us all,” he said.

The U.S. may consider keeping surveillance options or escort vessels on standby to accompany ships through the region if tensions continue to rise, Mr. Esper continued. However, he said the plan would not “necessarily mean that every U.S. flagged ship going through the Strait has a destroyer right behind it.”

Mr. Esper said he will be traveling to U.S. Central Command in Florida next week to get more details on the operation for what is likely to be his first trip as defense secretary.

In a 21-minute session with reporters on his first full day in office, the West Point graduate and 1991 Gulf War veteran touched on a number of subjects, praising the newly released congressional budget agreement, vowing to fill top vacancies at the Pentagon, and noting the recent strains with Turkey over Ankara’s decision to buy a major Russian missile defense system.

As Mr. Esper spoke with the press, David Norquist, nominated to be deputy defense secretary, appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for his confirmation hearing.

“I remember telling the president it doesn’t matter who’s secretary of defense, as long as you have Norquist,” committee Chairman James Inhofe, Oklahoma Republican, said during the hearing.

Mr. Norquist’s nomination hearing highlights a new push from the administration to confirm top officials after frustration has grown among lawmakers about the high number of vacant positions or roles filled in an “acting” capacity at the Pentagon.

“People in acting jobs, when you don’t feel the full confidence of the role, sometimes folks tend to maybe not behave as confidently,” said Mr. Esper, who spent several weeks as acting defense secretary after Patrick M. Shanahan withdrew his nomination.

Mr. Esper explained that several other nominees to fill the vacancies should be announced by the White House “soon” and his “key is to get them, get those positions filled as quickly as possible. Keep pushing folks through the system.”

The Senate is expected to soon vote on Mr. Norquist’s nomination as well as Mr. Trump’s nominee to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley.

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