Acting U.S. defense chief Patrick Shanahan has decided to withdraw his nomination as Secretary of Defense,... after serving as the Pentagon's acting chief since the turn of the year.<br />President Trump has named Army Secretary Mark Esper as his replacement.<br />Kim Hyo-sun reports.<br />Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan has stepped down from officially serving as the head of the Pentagon.<br />President Trump tweeted Tuesday that Shanahan has done a wonderful job, but had decided to spend more time with his family.<br />Trump named Army Secretary Mark Esper as the new Acting Secretary of Defense,... explaining he'll do a great job.<br /><br />"Pat Shanahan, who is a wonderful person, is as you know going to take some time off for family matters and I want to thank him for his service... But, Mark Esper is going to be outstanding and we look forward to working with him for a long period of time to come."<br /><br />Esper has served as the U.S. Army Secretary since November, 2017,... responsible for recruitment, training and care of soldiers on duty.<br />He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1986,... the same year as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.<br />His experience extends to Capitol Hill,... where he was responsible for national security issues as a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Government Affairs committees.<br /><br />According to CNN,... Shanahan's decision to withdraw came shortly after the Washington Post published an article describing a violent incident in 2011 during which his son brutally attacked his mother Shanahan's ex-wife with a baseball bat.<br />In a statement announcing his resignation,... Shanahan explained it was unfortunate that a painful and personal family situation from years ago had resurfaced.<br />He added he would welcome becoming the Secretary of Defense,... but not at the expense of being a good father.<br />The post has not been filled permanently since General James Mattis retired in January following policy differences with President Trump.<br />Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been acting defense secretary since January.<br />He was officially nominated to be the next Pentagon chief in May, but his formal nomination process in the Senate kept being delayed.<br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.<br />
