Article snippet: In naming Patrick Shanahan as interim Defense secretary, MORE has elevated a former Boeing executive with less than two years of government experience to lead the Pentagon. Trump on Sunday announced he would push out Defense Secretary MORE two months earlier than the retired general’s planned departure, naming Shanahan as his temporary replacement. Since his confirmation as deputy secretary in July 2017, Shanahan has ingratiated himself to the president by taking a lead role in Trump’s Space Force initiative and by implementing business reforms inside the Pentagon. And Shanahan has taken to his government role after spending a career in the corporate world. “I tell people it's like breaking up with your longtime girlfriend and finding the love of your life,” Shanahan said at a conference in September. Still, it’s unusual for the Pentagon to have an interim leader. After former Defense Secretary MORE announced his resignation in December 2014, he stayed on until his successor, Ash Carter, was confirmed the following February. Mattis said last week he would stay until the end of February to allow for a smooth transition. But Trump soon grew frustrated at the reaction to Mattis’s resignation letter — a sharp rebuke of Trump’s worldview — and decided Shanahan will be the acting secretary starting Jan. 1. Shanahan’s name has also been floated as a possible long-term replacement for Mattis. After Trump announced the personnel move in a tweet Sunday, Shanahan’s spokesma... Link to the full article to read more