White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders on Thursday announced President Trump's intention to nominate Patrick M. Shanahan to become the next U.S. secretary of defense, following his time serving as acting secretary. The president's decision to have Shanahan permanently lead the department is "based upon his outstanding service to the Country and his demonstrated ability to lead," a statement tweeted by Sanders said. "Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do so," the statement said. FLASHBACK: DEFENSE SECRETARY JAMES MATTIS TO LEAVE AS OF JANUARY 1; TRUMP TAPS PATRICK SHANAHAN AS ACTING SECRETARY OF DEFENSE Shanahan released a statement following the White House's announcement, saying he is "honored" by Trump's decision. “If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy," he said. "I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe.” Fox News reported last month that Trump was expected to formally nominate Shanahan as his permanent defense secretary. Shanahan worked at Boeing for over 30 years before coming to the Pentagon as then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s deputy at the start of the Trump administration. He has filled the role of acting defense secretary since Mattis' resignation last year. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP Shanahan spoke to reporters outside the Pentagon Thursday, telling them that his priorities moving forward are to "do the job." "The national defense strategy obviously is the high priority, but as you can tell there are real-world events that happen every day so you have to spin a lot of plates,” he said, before fielding questions on Iran and North Korea. Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Patrick M. Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense, poses for his official portrait in the Army portrait studio at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, July 19, 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Monica King/Released) (CNN) — President Donald Trump intends to nominate acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to be his permanent pick to replace James Mattis at the Pentagon, according to a tweet from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. “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,” Sanders said in a statement. Shortly after the announcement, Shanahan issued a statement saying he was “honored” to be chosen as the Pentagon’s permanent head. The former Boeing executive said in comments to reporters after the announcement that he had been informed of the decision earlier Thursday. “If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy,” Shanahan said in a statement. “I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe.” Shanahan took over the job in an acting role following the December resignation of Mattis, who left the administration over a series of policy differences with Trump, particularly over the President’s initial decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. While Mattis had intended to stay on until the end of February in part to allow time for his successor to be named and confirmed, Trump, reportedly angry over the coverage of the’ resignation, decided to cut the transition period short, thrusting Shanahan into the role on January 1. Shanahan cleared a major hurdle blocking him from becoming Trump’s nominee last month when the Department of Defense’s inspector general cleared him of allegations he violated ethics agreements by promoting the interests of his former employer, Boeing. The White House and Pentagon had both indicated Shanahan could not be nominated until the IG investigation concluded. One White House official pointed to the IG report clearing Shanahan as the main hurdle that he had needed to clear to be tapped for the job. The official conceded that West Wing aides had anticipated that Shanahan would be nominated sooner than Thursday, as the report came out weeks ago. The top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, perhaps previewing criticism Shanahan can expect to face in the confirmation process, said the permanent role would be a “very different job than his previous position.” “Serving as secretary of defense is an immense task and I look forward to hearing directly from the acting secretary during the confirmation process,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island. Sen. Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican who’s the committee chairman, issued a statement saying he was pleased with the nomination. “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. The announcement on Thursday came as the Trump administration faces foreign policy challenges on multiple fronts. On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would reduce commitments to the joint nuclear agreement – a year after Trump announced the US was withdrawing from the deal the Obama administration championed. The Trump administration has supported the efforts of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in a standoff with the nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and just hours before the announcement, South Korea said North Korea had launched two suspected “short-range missiles.” In a nod to the global flashpoints, Shanahan said the biggest challenge he would face was “balancing it all.” “As you can tell, there are real world events that happen every day, so you have to spin a lot of plates,” Shanahan said at the Pentagon. White House debate CNN previously reported that Trump had told aides that he has been impressed by Shanahan’s tenure as acting secretary and was inclined to nominate him to formally take over the permanent role, one source close to the White House told CNN in late February. When some of his advisers suggested other candidates, Trump responded by saying he is inclined to keep Shanahan. A source close to the White House had said previously that Trump leaned toward nominating Shanahan to the post because he believed he would not push any particular policy agenda on the President – a major source of tension between Trump and Mattis. And while Mattis was largely seen as having the stature to push back against some of Trump’s nontraditional policies and ideas, Shanahan is seen as much less likely to do so. “This is the department of get stuff done,” Shanahan has reportedly said on multiple occasions. However, Thursday’s announcement was the result of lobbying by White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney as well. In March, some West Wing officials were no longer convinced Shanahan would get the defense secretary job.<doc-sep>Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan hosts an honor cordon for Bosnia and Herzegovina's Minister of Defense Marina Pendes at the Pentagon on Sept. 12, 2017. Department of Defense photo WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to nominate acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to formally take over the top spot at the Pentagon, the president's spokeswoman said Thursday. Shanahan, a former longtime executive at aerospace giant Boeing, needs Senate confirmation for the post most recently held by James Mattis. "Based upon his outstanding service to the Country and his demonstrated ability, President Trump intends to nominated Patrick M. Shanahan to be the Secretary of Defense," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote in a tweet. "Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job," Sanders wrote. President Donald Trump listens next to Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan during a Cabinet meeting on day 12 of the partial U.S. government shutdown at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 2, 2019. Jim Young | Reuters Shanahan, 56, had no prior experience either in the military or in foreign policy before he became the deputy Defense secretary in 2017. "I am honored by today's announcement of President Trump's intent to nominate," he said in a prepared statement. "If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy." "I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe." In the wake of the announcement, Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon that he learned of Trump's intent to nominate him Thursday afternoon at the White House. "The biggest challenge is going to be balancing it all," Shanahan told reporters. "I'd say, for me, it's about practicing selectful neglect so that we can stay focused on the future but not ignore a lot of the emerging really important issues that pop day to day that you don't plan for." Shanahan's views on America's role in the world have been shaped by decades in the private sector. Before coming to the Pentagon, Shanahan spent just over 30 years at Boeing, where he oversaw the management of profit and loss for the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787 programs. In 2017, he left the company to become the 33rd deputy secretary of Defense, a role that oversees the Pentagon's colossal $700 billion budget. The nomination follows the end of a monthlong ethics investigation into Shanahan, conducted by the Defense Department's inspector general. The IG's office examined whether Shanahan had taken any actions in his official capacity to benefit Boeing, and it ultimately determined that he had not. Shanahan ascended to the acting role in the wake of Mattis' shocking resignation in December. James Mattis, U.S. Secretary of Defense, right, and Patrick Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense, wait outside the Pentagon before an event in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg via Getty Images<doc-sep>WASHINGTON — President Trump will nominate Patrick M. Shanahan as his second defense secretary, trying to cement the acting Pentagon chief against an expected challenging battle with lawmakers and Defense Department officials skeptical of him, White House officials said on Thursday. The announcement, in a tweet from Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, followed a monthlong Pentagon ethics investigation that found that Mr. Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, had not acted improperly in official meetings when discussing military contractors. Announcing the nomination in a Twitter statement from his press secretary, Mr. Trump eschewed the usual pomp and ceremony that comes with putting forth his nominee to lead the country’s 1.2 million active-duty military troops. Ms. Sanders said that Mr. Trump intended to nominate Mr. Shanahan because of his “outstanding service to the country and his demonstrated ability to lead.” She trumpeted Mr. Shanahan’s dual graduate degrees, in engineering and business administration, from the “Massachusetts Institution of Technology.” (It is actually the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.)<doc-sep>
Acting Secretary of Defence Patrick M. Shanahan speaks during a joined statement with the German Defence Minister after the D-ISIS meeting of defence minsters at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof prior to the 55th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in Munich, southern Germany, on Feb. 15, 2019. (Thomas Kienzle/AFP/Getty Images) President Trump to Nominate Patrick M. Shanahan as Defense Secretary: White House President Donald Trump intends to nominate acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan as the new Secretary of Defense, according to a White House press release. “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,” said White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. Shanahan has previously served as deputy secretary of defense and vice president of supply chain and operations at Boeing. President Trump intends to nominate Patrick M. Shanahan as Secretary of Defense. pic.twitter.com/RaOXb09qMr — Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) May 9, 2019 “Acting Secretary Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job,” said Sanders in the statement. Shortly after the announcement, Shanahan issued a statement saying he was “honored” to be chosen as the Pentagon’s permanent head. 1 of 2: I am honored by today’s announcement from @PressSec. If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy. — Acting SecDef Pat Shanahan (@ActingSecDef) May 9, 2019 “If confirmed by the Senate, I will continue the aggressive implementation of our National Defense Strategy,” Shanahan said. In another Tweet, he said: “I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe.” 2 of 2: I remain committed to modernizing the force so our remarkable Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines have everything they need to keep our military lethal and our country safe. — Acting SecDef Pat Shanahan (@ActingSecDef) May 9, 2019 Speaking to reporters after his nomination, Shanahan expressed much enthusiasm. “I called my mom…I’m very excited,” he said. Shanahan took over the job in an acting capacity following the December resignation of Gen. Jim Mattis, who left the administration over a series of policy differences with Trump, particularly over the President’s initial decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. Patrick Shanahan on being nominated to be Secretary of Defense: “I called my mom…I’m very excited.” pic.twitter.com/LJhtB8K3El — CSPAN (@cspan) May 9, 2019 While Mattis had intended to stay on until the end of February, in part to allow time for his successor to be named and confirmed, Trump, reportedly angry over the coverage of Mattis’s resignation, decided to cut the transition period short, thrusting Shanahan into the role on Jan. 1. Shanahan cleared a major hurdle blocking him from becoming Trump’s nominee last month when the Department of Defense’s Inspector General cleared him of allegations that he violated ethics agreements by promoting the interests of his former employer, Boeing. CNN Wire Service Content contributed to this report.