"I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defence, 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!" Trump wrote on Twitter.
READ MORE: SDF: Daesh Ramps Up Attacks on Kurds After US Report of Troop Pullout From Syria
The US president also noted he had had a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the crucial issues, concerning the military withdrawal from Syria.
The move followed Trump’s decision to pull out all 2,000 troops from Syria starting immediately after he declared victory over the Daesh* terror group.
* Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/IS/Islamic State) is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia