Acting Secretary of Defense Starts January 1, 2019
Patrick Shanahan from DOD website.
Although Retired General Mattis designated February 28, 2019, as his intended step-down date, it’s looking like he’ll leave at the end of this year. President Trump designated the Deputy Secretary of Defense as the Acting Secretary of Defense effective January 1, 2019.
From the Military Times:
Mattis’ relationship with Trump had appeared to sour in recent months as the president pushed for more aggressive military policies.
Pentagon officials appeared caught unaware by sudden decisions made in the Oval Office on forming a new Space Force, sending troops to the southern U.S. border, and banning transgender recruits from the ranks.
Most recently, Trump’s decisions to begin massive troop withdrawals in the Middle East and Afghanistan seemed to go against military commanders’ advice.
Shanahan, who is among the candidates to permanently replace Mattis, is now in a position to drive changes he’s championed as Mattis’ deputy.
The former Boeing executive in his current role has pushed for systemic changes to the acquisition system that pushes the Pentagon’s focus away from annual budget cycles and more on making programs successful.
Patrick Shanahan wants to focus on process and outputs, removing duplication of efforts, making programs successful, etc.
You can read more here. Here’s President Trump’s announcement:
I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 23, 2018
Category: None
Standing by to see what ridiculous business model he’ll force on the military to “improve efficiencies.”
Remember TQL? And Net Centric Warfare (NCW) is making a resurgence. Talk about a solution in search of a problem, NCW is the real deal.
Hope he’s smart enough to wait a while before implementing sweeping changes- the military’s job is to kill people and break things, not make widgets on an assembly line.
Holy crap!!! TQL… I forgot about that until you mentioned it. I remember we had a week long training class for it and I got kicked out for starting you are in the military to blow things up.
From warrior to cupcake.
Trump called Mattis “sort of a Democrat” and “Moderate Dog!” LOL, obviously Trump thought Mattis was a fucking bitch. Good riddance. I honestly hope he fires Shanahan and just runs the Pentagon himself. I’d love to see Trump run the military without anyone standing in his way.
Trump threw a tantrum because he did not like how the public interpreted Mattis’s letter so he forced him out early.
Now there is a war profiteer with zero military and international security experience running the DoD and advising the president on how to best manage our national security moving forward.
Whatever happens I guarantee his advice will result in transferring taxpayer defense dollars into profits for defense contractors.
In fact nearly every one of his cabinet is focused on transferring taxpayer dollars and public land and resources into the hands of billionaires and multimillionaires in industries and in families that donated to Trump’s campaign or prominent republicans.
Yaaaaawwwnnnnnn….You regurgitate the narrative…
Kind of like what Hillary would have done?
Cleanup, aisle three… YEF!!!!
Moving!!!
Where you been, Yef? Missed you.’
Have you been getting enough stuff at the chow hall? You look kind of thin.
There he is! Dilly Dilly!
Hey Yef, WHERE ‘YA BEEN ‘Young-un, did they leave you in the field or something?
I am confused now and request a decision from TAH HQ. Is Yef Slow Joe or not?
Slow Joe is Yef and Yef is Slow Joe.
They share the same IP, email and drunken writing skills such as this:
Welcome back!
You’re talking about crony capitalism. That is what Hillary is famous for. If Trump does it, I say roast him. If not, screaming that he’s corrupt doesn’t help.
I’m curious. Why do you say Mr. Shanahan is a war profiteer?
It’s very simple, Michael. Anyone who has anything to do with Mr. Trump is anathema to Chthulhu a/k/a SquinchibuttheadMcBlobfish, because he simply hates Trump the same way snowflakes hate a campfire.
“…because he simply hates Trump the same way snowflakes hate a campfire.”
CLASSIC!!!
I just redid (is that a word?) my 2017 taxes using the new 2018 forms and instructions. I would have saved $2600.
I can see that when I file for 2018 I will pay about the same but with a higher income and better return on savings.
Thank you Trump for the former.
Thank you Fed for the latter.
See what I just did Lars?
I praised both sides of the dispute for
advancing my lot. It is an easy concept to master.
Just try to concentrate on what is best for Lars and then act accordingly.
“Trump threw a tantrum because…” blah, blah, blah, blah. The president, as chief executive, is the boss. Mattis flexed his muscle, effectively showing up the boss, and the boss decided to remind him who is boss. That’s the way it works with bosses.
Spot on.
And here comes NPC argument #29:
“Those are the actions of a tyrant.”
See also “Truman, Harry” and “MacArthur, Douglas”.
There are some important distinctions here.
MacArthur disobeyed Truman and got fired. Mattis resigned in protest, but still followed Trumps legal orders.
True. My point was more along the lines of “The boss has the last word”. I agree with how Mattis went out. If you can’t support your boss, resign, and your resignation letter should reflect the “why”.
My understanding is Trump told Mattis, Six months. Mattis balked at the timeline, Trump enforced the timeline. That’s not following orders.
You can argue whether or not they were good orders, but, they were not followed.
I’m probably going to lose money this year, but only because California’s state tax increase will outpace the federal tax cut. Thanks, democrat assholes in Sacramento! Really appreciated!
*YAWN*, is that all your perfessers gave you to regurgitate here today? That sounds like something straight out of DU!
“Whatever happens I guarantee his advice will result in transferring taxpayer defense dollars into profits for defense contractors.” You personally have been sucking at the tax teat for many years, floating from one gov’t job to another and, I bet, VA money for years and years. So, just STHU.
I ass-u-me that was aimed at ‘ol Babbles McButthead and I think you’re right, I don’t see him ever doing anything other than being some bureaucrat in some bland cubicle sucking at the Government teat!
Personally, I doubt that he’s been able to find a paycheck job since the Army left him.
Not only that, but he has admitted that his mommy & daddy were both lifelong gubmint employees.
Unless we shut down new equipment procurement, research, or refurbishment EVERY SINGLE SecDef is going to be responsible for transferring taxpayer dollars into profits for contractors. Capitalism. 🙄
Actually Mason, I’d call it (almost) free-market.. Capitalism is a word / concept that Lenin came up with to advance socialism / communism. It’s an inaccurate description, and just validates leftist ideas..
Yes, “capitalism” is a commie coined term. We should use free enterprise instead.
Cheerfully withdrawn.
Oh pleez dude
So you would have the military own the factories that produce our gear?
Do you really want the gruberment own R&D of all mil equipment?
Dude, the socialist paradise is only a paradise for the ruling elite.
The rest of the people become poorer than the poor in any free market economy.
With socialism you wait in line for the bread. With capitalism the bread wait for you lined in shelves.
Of course that’s what Commissar wants! That’s the way the Soviets did it, and everyone knows what kind of high-quality products came from that system, as well as the legendary efficiency and customer service (/sarc)!
For a great non-Soviet example of the same stupidity, see British zeppelin R-101.
No no no, the Soviets did it wrong, as did every other Communist country. Lars and his perfessers know better, they’ll get it right this time!
COMMUNISM only killed 120-150 million people during the 20th Century and today’s mindless liberal idiot minions just want to give it ONE MORE CHANCE.
By the way, Joe, you’re still an asshole for that chickenshit a few days ago calling me a commie. You can still fuck yourself.
He said WHAT? Talk about an idiot move!
Yeah, the first thread about the volcano the other day. Right out of the blue, too.
TOW,
Slow Joe is Yef in disguise. His comment was uncalled for, we apologize.
Is it Yef? Eh, well fuck him. Doesn’t he have some blinker fluid to find?
It is Yef, he is still looking for the biodegradable buffer wax filters. His next mission can be blinker fluid.
Is he sufficiently competent to cycle a Sloan valve?
Nope. He goes outside.
TOW, modern Sloan valves have two modes now. Welcome to the 21st century.
I thought he was still looking for the Chem Light Batteries, a box of ground guides and some Cable Stretching Oil for me!
Those exhaust samples ain’t gonna bag themselves!
“Do you really want the gruberment own R&D of all mil equipment?”
Are you ready for some disappointment?
*grin*
I have yet to see dTrump “throw a tantrum”. That sounds more like something that Squinchiflaps here would do.
I have seen dTrump do what needs to be done, and like Slow Joe here says: is putting manufacture of defense equipment into the hands of military personnel a good idea? No. It is not.
I have seen YOU, Squishbuttheadless Blobfish make utterly stupid remakrs, based on YOUR hysterical hatred of a business man, but what you posted, you unbelievable MORON, is BY FAR the STUPIDEST THING YOU HAVE POSTED TO DATE.
Where in the blinking blue-eyed world do you think military equipment comes from? Do you think we go to Weapons R Us with shopping carts?
How about if we all chip in and buy this asshole Chthulhu aka Commissar a big greasy jar of Vaseline so that he can get his bloated head and balloon for a brain out of his ass???
Anyone want to start a GoFuckMe bucket for that?
It’s official: CHTHULHU, AKA Commissar, AKA ALL THOSE OTHER MONIKERS HE CHOSE, IS DUMBER THAN A WET PAPER BAG FULL OF CARPET TACKS.
Yes, I feel much better much better now.
I personally think that Babbles McButthead has his head so far up his ass that the only daylight he sees is through his own bellybutton!
I’d rather put a galvanized bucket over his pointed little head and charge folks 50 cents a swing to hit it with the cluebat.
Now THAT is capitalism!
I wanna be first in line with $5 for ten hits!
Make it $10 and I will have a cold beer waiting for you when you are done.
IT’S A DEAL!! I’ll even have a flask on me when I do it, thus it’ll be a shot and a cold beer!!!
I’ll provide refreshments!
A lot of folks wanted the government to run more like a private sector business, here’s to getting what you asked for…cheers!
In the private sector furloughs are given without pay to save the company money, people are terminated for disagreeing with management every day. People are terminated when they tender their resignation on the spot because why keep someone around who doesn’t want to be there anymore and has indicated they are moving on? These are all real world private sector realities.
In many companies when you give notice of resignation for whatever reason you are immediately locked out of the computer system and escorted out of the building. The niceties of government resignation don’t exist in much of the private sector.
Trump never like the middle east wars, if you thought otherwise you weren’t reading his words from 2002-2005 where he expressed the ideas that the ME involvement was a huge, really yuge, mistake.
This is what family run business looks like, capricious decisions made without concern for the employees feelings. You quit you’re out that day, you don’t agree you’re out that day, you don’t like it? Fuck you that’s how it is.
Welcome to the bigs, rookie.
Roger.Fucking.That! Or in Navy terminology, Bravo-Fucking-Zulu! or Sierra-Fucking-Hotel if you will…
I can’t even cherry pick the best parts because the whole thing is the best part! Clear, concise and to the fucking point!
Nailed it! You win!
Fuckin A doo dah all day long.
Seems to be the “Robert McNamara-ish” kind of dude.
Time will tell.
I hope he is not Bill Cohen’s ghost.
There is a misspelling in your title. It’s “reins” if you are speaking of those thin leather doo-hickeys that control a horse’s movements.
Saw that, but I took it as “reigns” as in rules. Not a well crafted title- I blame the Military Times’ editorial staff.
Thanks for the head’s up- and looks like thebesig fixed it.
You were much nicer than I would have been. I would have first told him that there is an unneeded hyphen in his sentence. It’s doohickeys or doohickies but not doo-hickeys. Second, I would have informed him that this is not a literary blog and that writers here are their own copy editors, like those who post comments, and mistakes happen. Third, I would have thanked him, insincerely, for his contribution to the topic.
Yep
Don’t encourage him.
I want him to post here more often. His comment indicates someone with control issues… Someone who has to make things about him and not about what everybody is talking about.
I’m going to have fun with him if he does jump back in.
I normally leave words in that aren’t spelled correctly, or aren’t grammar compliant, when I’m debating with someone. How soon they go grammar police on me is an indication of how desperate they are in the argument.
Maybe he is a Lawer.
I checked the “title”. I do not see anything vaguely resembling ‘reigns’ or ‘reins’.
Oh, yeah – those ‘doohickeys’ that control a horse’s movements are NOT doohickeys, you dipstick Siggurdson. They are either ‘reins’ or ‘lines’.
A ‘doohickey’ is the metal flange or zipper pull on your pants zipper.
Get over yourself.
Uh, do you want help from Sister Mary Grace, thebesig? All kinds of backup available at that end, including Roget’s and Strunk & White.
Someone else fixed it. I changed the second half of the title, but may end up going back to using the original.
When someone goes full retard like Siggurdsson did here, I maintain what irritated them and don’t make changes. Folks like him/her/it have control issues, and would zero in on spelling or grammar while ignoring the topic.
I wasn’t sure if you meant rein or reign, it worked either way and I didn’t want to be that guy and ask.
If you’re going to correct someone’s spelling or grammar, you need to do it without error… Unless you’re giving someone a taste of their own medicine.
First, the word that was used wasn’t a misspelled word. It was spelled correctly. It’s use was deliberate.
Second, your first sentence is redundant. See first part of my explanation.
Third, “doohickey” is the wrong word to use if you’re going to correct someone’s spelling and grammar. It’s like someone who craps all over himself telling someone else that he forgot to wipe some food from the corner of his lip.
This leads to my fourth point.
Fourth, it’s “doohickey”, not “doo-hickey”.
Like clockwork, every single time a person jumps into a thread, pulling the grammar/spelling police card, they do so with a post that’s not grammar/spelling compliant.
There, their, they’re, it’s all right!!!
January 1, eh? Hmm. Seems like something else is happening on that date.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Nikki.
(OK, my wish for the new year is based solely on wishful thinking. Still, wouldn’t it be great for Mattis to replace Haley at the UN? Laterally moving from one cabinet position to another is not unheard of.)
Except that Mattis has made it pretty clear he’s done working for DJT.
Not certain that details such as that count when daydreaming and having wishful thinking delusions…
As unlikely as it is, how funny would it be if this whole spat was really just Mattis and Trump collaboratively trolling the media as a lead-in to such an appointment?
or better yet Trump/Mattis 2020?
That’d be hilarious! I’d love to see some serious trolling from the two most powerful men in the world. I’ve heard from Q sources that Mattis is being sent down to Guantanamo along with Kelly and Tillerson to serve as judges for the tribunals coming up! He’s finally going to lock her up!
LoL middle management. Still the same boss doing the people’s will.
Time for foreigners to fight their own wars.
I question the Military Times when they say “Pentagon officials appeared caught unaware by sudden decisions made in the Oval Office on forming a new Space Force, sending troops to the southern U.S. border, and banning transgender recruits from the ranks.”
None of those were a surprise. Yes, the sudden pull out of Syria was a surprise, but all the things they listed were very, very well telegraphed. Leads me to question if they know what’s going on.
Key phrase there being “appeared unaware.” Planners are prepared for all sorts of contingencies, spend inordinate amounts of time writing plans for completely absurd improbabilities, and are never surprised when one of those crazy scenarios becomes reality.
“- if they know what’s going on.”
The entire point to having confidential and secure information is to not telegraph what you intend to do.
That includes not keeping high-level classified stuff on your own server in a bathroom closet some place.
“Appeared unaware.”
That’s code for “We knew but we ain’t saying a damn thing!”
On a related note.
I am not a rocket surgeon when it comes to foreign policy or military planning. I was just a guy that shot bullets and broke stuff.
That said, I see pulling out of the dirka-dirka areas like Syria and Afghanistan as ungood.
Does it not create a power vacuum?
Ultimately it would be great if the host countries were trained and stable enough to fight their own battles and win. But Are we there yet?
I have this obnoxious number stuck in my head of a 1/3 desertion ration of the ANA when we drew down the first time.
Iraq went to shit for sure.
My personal opinion – FWIW – is to fight on their soil rather than ours.
And to take off 100% of any restraints. Just beat the living dog shit out of all the bad guys we can isolate/identify.
It is JUST LIKE cancer where if you don’t cut it out, plus the margins, you have free radical cells waiting to start up again.
How does President Trump no more than Mattis?
Which qualified Generals have agreed with President Trump? Does Mattis stand alone?
Good, Mattis fought Trump on transgender service, assassinating Assad, and not using Twitter to announce major military policy decisions like pulling out of Syria. That memo he drafted bordered on treason. It’s just a shame that it took Trump a whole week to read it because he could have fired Mattis even sooner.