WASHINGTON, May 9, 2019 — Patrick Shanahan, the ex-Boeing VP who has led the Defense Department since late last year, may soon see his “acting” career come to an end.
Shanahan, 56, will soon be nominated for Senate confirmation as the 27th Secretary of Defense, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday.
“Based upon his outstanding service to the Country and his demonstrated ability to lead, President Trump intends to nominate Patrick M. Shanahan to be the Secretary of Defense,” Sanders said in a statement.
“Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job.”
Trump previously tapped the former Boeing executive to serve as Deputy Secretary of Defense under the 26th person to hold that position, retired Marine General James Mattis.
Shanahan was made Acting Secretary of Defense in December 2018, after Mattis resigned following President Trump’s decision to accede to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s request that he pull US troops out of Syria. Before joining the Defense Department, he spent 30 years at Boeing, rising to the position of senior vice president for supply chain and operations.