Patrick Shanahan is said to quickly replace James Mattis as US Secretary of Defense. This has announced US President Donald Trump via Twitter. Shanahan is previously Mattis‘ deputy. This was announced by Trump on the short message service Twitter. „I am pleased to announce that the talented Patrick Shanahan will begin work on Jan. 1,“ Trump tweeted. Shanahan will initially perform the role provisionally. If he is to hold the office permanently, the senate would have to confirm it.
Shanahan is Deputy Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Mattis had announced his withdrawal on Thursday – partly because he disapproved of the withdrawal of all 2,000 US troops from Syria. The change is now faster than expected. Mattis did not want to retire until the end of February and stressed that there should be enough time for the transition.
Mattis had also stated that he was stepping down over allies because of Trump’s confrontational course. In protest against the Syrian decision, the US Special Representative for the anti-IS coalition, Brett McGurk, also announced his premature resignation.
Shanahan has been a member of the government since mid-2017. Previously, he had worked as a manager at the aircraft manufacturer Boeing – including in the military field of the group.
