Deputy Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan is formally sworn into office by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis during a ceremony in the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., Aug. 14, 2017. Shanahan will take over as Acting Secretary of Defense on January 1, 2019. (DOD/Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)
Military.com: Mattis to Officially Hand Off as Defense Secretary to Shanahan at Midnight Monday
In a conference call around midnight Monday, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will officially resign and turn over his authorities to Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who will serve as acting secretary of defense until President Donald Trump settles on a permanent replacement, a defense official said Friday.
There had been confusion at the Pentagon throughout this week on the actual process for the transition, since acting secretaries are not required to be sworn in. The defense official said the phone call would be the vehicle for the transfer of power.
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WNU Editor: The consensus is that soon to be Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will be bringing a "corporate" approach to the Pentagon .... During a time of chaos, the next Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan brings his corporate style to America's largest bureaucracy (CNBC). Others are not optimistic on what he will be bringing to the job .... The Military’s New Boss Is Walking Into an Ambush (Foreign Policy).