Trump picks ex-Boeing executive Shanahan
as defense secretary
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[May 10, 2019]
By Idrees Ali and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald
Trump plans to nominate Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing Co executive,
as his defense secretary, the White House said on Thursday, breaking
with tradition by choosing someone who made a career at a top defense
company as Pentagon chief.
Shanahan had been under investigation by the Pentagon inspector general
for allegedly seeking preferential treatment of Boeing while at the
Defense Department but he was cleared of wrongdoing in April. He has
been acting defense secretary since January, the longest in Pentagon
history.
"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," White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders
said in a statement.
Early tests for Shanahan will include handling growing tensions with
Iran, renewed missile tests by North Korea and questions about how the
United States should handle the political and economic crisis in
Venezuela.
Shanahan said in a statement that he was committed to modernizing U.S.
military forces and if confirmed would aggressively implement Trump's
national defense strategy which prioritizes competition with China and
Russia over the counterinsurgency wars that have consumed the Pentagon
for much of the past two decades.
Shanahan, 56, was thrust into the role in an acting capacity in January,
after Jim Mattis abruptly resigned over policy differences with Trump.
On his first day as acting Pentagon chief in January, Shanahan told
civilian leaders of the U.S. military to focus on "China, China, China."
The Trump administration has announced its intention to withdraw most
U.S. troops from Syria and diplomatic efforts are underway to bring an
end to the 17-year-old war Afghanistan.
But the most pressing short-term issue is likely to be Iran. Earlier
this week the Pentagon said it was sending a carrier strike group and
bombers to the Middle East after U.S. intelligence signaled possible
preparations by Tehran to stage attacks against U.S. forces or
interests.
Shanahan is expected to be confirmed by senators, though he could face a
tough confirmation process because of his tenure at Boeing.
Lawmakers have previously expressed concern about undue influence on the
Pentagon from defense companies.
Ties between Boeing and the Trump administration run deep, with Trump
using the company's products and sites as a backdrop for major
announcements.
Boeing, the world's largest planemaker, is facing one of the biggest
crises in its 103-year history following the disasters on Lion Air in
Indonesia last year and another on Ethiopian Airlines in March, which
together killed all 346 on board.
The Pentagon inspector general started the investigation of Shanahan in
March for allegedly promoting Boeing in Pentagon meetings and
disparaging competitors. But a report published on April 25 said none of
the allegations were substantiated.
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Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan (L) listens as U.S.
President Donald Trump holds a meeting with senior military leaders
at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin
Lamarque
Defense secretaries have traditionally come from a political or
policy background, serving as a counterweight to the military brass
in decision making. Mattis, a retired Marine general, was one of the
few former military leaders to become secretary.
Mattis implicitly criticized Trump in his resignation letter for
failing to value allies who fight alongside the United States,
including in places like Syria.
Shanahan is unlikely to be an effective counterweight to Trump's
often impulsive decision making. He toured the U.S. border with
Mexico in February in what was seen as a show of support for Trump's
planned border wall.
BOEING TIES
Shanahan has been serving in an acting capacity since the start of
the year, making him the longest acting defense secretary ever. He
joined Boeing in 1986 and spent more than three decades there,
working on the 737 and 787 Dreamliner commercial airplanes.
Shanahan was also the president and general manager of Boeing
Missile Defense Systems and worked on the Apache, Chinook and Osprey
military aircraft.
Trump himself has been a strong proponent of military products made
by U.S. defense companies. In phone calls and public appearances
with world leaders, Trump has gone further than any of his
predecessors to act as a salesman for the U.S. defense industry.
A senior administration official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said Shanahan believed that he was answerable to Trump
and it was his job to implement decisions made by the president.
In February, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
Senator James Inhofe, said he did not think Trump would nominate
Shanahan. But since then, officials say Inhofe has privately told
Shanahan he would back him.
"We need a confirmed leader at the Department and, after working
with him closely over the last few months, I welcome his selection,"
Inhofe said in a statement on Thursday.
During Shanahan's Senate confirmation hearing to be deputy defense
secretary in 2017, the committee's then-chairman, John McCain,
voiced deep concern about giving the deputy job to an executive from
one of the five corporations accounting for the lion’s share of U.S.
defense spending.
"I have to have confidence that the fox is not going to be put back
into the henhouse," said McCain, who died in August.
(Reporting by Steve Holland and Idrees Ali; Writing by Idrees Ali
and David Alexander; Editing by Eric Beech and Alistair Bell)
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