President Donald Trump has announced that acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination to lead the Pentagon. President Donald Trump has announced that acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination to lead the Pentagon. The president added that the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, will be the new acting secretary. ....I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defense. Mr Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since January 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.

Source: Irish Independent June 18, 2019 18:18 UTC