President Trump names Patrick Shanahan as Acting Defence Secretary

President Donald Trump has announced that Defence Secretary James Mattis will depart the Pentagon by January 1. James Mattis’s Deputy, Patrick Shanahan is appointed as the Acting Defence Secretary.
James Mattis had resigned from the post of Defence Secretary citing policy differences with President Trump. The major reason for the fallout between President Trump and Mattis was,  President Trump’s sudden announcement about the troop drawdowns in both Syria and Afghanistan. Mattis was said to be against the move.
The resignation letter of Mattis delivered a harsh assessment of President Trump’s policy objectives. This triggered series of negative headlines in the US media and it was said to be the reason to remove Mattis earlier than expected.
Shanahan is a former Boeing executive. He became the Deputy Secretary of Defence in 2017. Shanahan is a native of Washington State like Mattis and he will be responsible for managing the Pentagon’s colossal $700 billion defence budget. As Deputy Secretary of Defence, Shanahan focused on reforming the internal processes of the Pentagon.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2018