Mattis leaving early, interim named

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump announced Dec. 23 that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will leave his post on Jan. 1. Trump named Mattis’ early departure in a tweet, and named Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan as acting SECDEF. The move comes three days after Mattis resigned in protest over Trump’s decision to pull all U.S. troops out of Syria. Mattis originally said he would stay through February. (Source: The AP 12/23/18) Shanahan’s official DoD biography does not show any military service.