Patrick Michael Shanahan (born June 27, 1962) is a former
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
federal government official who served as acting
U.S. Secretary of Defense in 2019.
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
appointed Shanahan to the role after the resignation of Retired General
James N. Mattis. Shanahan served as
Deputy Secretary of Defense
The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.
The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...
from 2017 to 2019.
He previously spent 30 years at
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
in a variety of roles.
The White House announced on May 9, 2019, that Trump intended to nominate Shanahan as the Secretary of Defense. That decision was reversed on June 18, 2019, when Shanahan said that he was withdrawing,
and Trump announced that he would be making
Mark Esper
Mark Thomas Esper (born April 26, 1964) is an American politician and manufacturing executive who served as the 27th United States secretary of defense from 2019 to 2020. A member of the Republican Party, he had previously served as the 23rd ...
the acting U.S. Secretary of Defense.
Shanahan's last day in that position was June 24, 2019.
Early life and education
Shanahan was born on June 27, 1962, in
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto (; Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a coastal redwood tree known as El Palo Alto.
The city was es ...
,
the son of Jo-Anne Genevieve () and Michael George Shanahan. His father's original surname was "Rockholtz," and "Shanahan" is the surname of Patrick's step-grandfather. He grew up in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
, where he graduated from
Bishop Blanchet High School
Bishop Blanchet High School is a private coeducational Catholic high school located north of Green Lake in Seattle, United States. The school was founded in 1954 by the Archdiocese of Seattle, and named for the first bishop of the diocese, A.M ...
in 1980. He attended the
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
where he earned a
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in
mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, an ...
. He then earned a
Master of Science (M.S.) degree in mechanical engineering from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, and a
Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, ...
.
Career at Boeing (1986–2017)
![John Kerry and Pat Shanahan](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/John_Kerry_and_Pat_Shanahan.jpg)
Shanahan joined
Boeing
The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and p ...
in 1986, becoming involved in Computer Services and the
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet.
The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...
program.
Over the course of his career, he held management roles with respect to the Boeing Missile Defense Systems, as well as 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787 commercial airline programs.
He also played a role spearheading the recovery of Boeing's 787 program, and was known there as "Mr. Fix-it" from as early as 2008.
Shanahan served
Boeing Commercial Airplanes as vice president and general manager of the
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978.
The prototype completed its mai ...
program, with responsibility for the design, production, and profitability of the 757 family of planes.
He also held leadership positions on the
Boeing 767 program and in the
fabrication division.
Shanahan then served as vice president and general manager for
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems
Boeing Rotorcraft Systems (formerly Boeing Helicopters and before that Boeing Vertol) is the former name of an American aircraft manufacturer, now known as Vertical Lift division of Boeing Defense, Space & Security.
The headquarters and main ...
in Philadelphia.
He was responsible for all U.S. Army Aviation programs and site activities in Philadelphia and
Mesa, Arizona.
Programs at these facilities included the
V-22 Osprey,
CH-47 Chinook
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, C ...
, and the
AH-64D Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache () is an American twin- turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night v ...
.
Shanahan served as vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems, starting in December 2004 overseeing the
Ground-based Midcourse Defense
Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) is the United States' anti-ballistic missile system for intercepting incoming warheads in space, during the midcourse phase of ballistic trajectory flight. It is a major component of the American missile de ...
system,
Airborne Laser and Advanced Tactical Laser programs.
He served as vice president and general manager of the
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...
program, where he led the program during a period of the aircraft's development from 2007 to 2008.
He next served as senior vice president of Airplane Programs at
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, beginning in December 2008.
In April 2016, he became senior vice president, Supply Chain & Operations, for Boeing.
His responsibilities in that position included manufacturing operations and supplier management functions,
carrying out advanced manufacturing technologies, and global supply chain strategies.
Shanahan was a member of the Boeing Executive Council.
United States Department of Defense (2017–2019)
Deputy Secretary of Defense
On March 16, 2017, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Shanahan as the 33rd
Deputy Secretary of Defense
The deputy secretary of defense (acronym: DepSecDef) is a statutory office () and the second-highest-ranking official in the Department of Defense of the United States of America.
The deputy secretary is the principal civilian deputy to the sec ...
, the Pentagon's second-highest civilian position.
Trump nominated Shanahan to lead plans to increase the size of the military.
Shanahan's Senate confirmation hearing took place on June 20, 2017. During the hearing, Senator
John McCain, a proponent of providing arms to
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
, threatened to block Shanahan's nomination over his response in a written statement about whether or not the U.S. should provide such weapons to Ukraine. Shanahan said he did not have access to classified military information in order to make a decision on the matter.
Robert O. Work, the Deputy Secretary of Defense at the end of the Obama administration, remained in the position until Shanahan's confirmation. Shanahan was confirmed by the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
with a vote of 92–7 on July 18, 2017,
and became the 33rd Deputy Secretary of Defense on July 19, 2017.
Acting Secretary of Defense
![Shanahan in Afghanistan 2019](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Shanahan_in_Afghanistan_2019.jpg)
President Trump initially announced that Shanahan would be elevated on February 28, 2019, to Acting Defense Secretary, when the
Jim Mattis
James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general who served as the 26th US secretary of defense from 2017 to 2019. During his 44 years in the Marine Corps, he commanded forces in the Persia ...
resignation was originally to become effective. But a follow-up Trump
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
announcement on December 23, 2018, stated that Shanahan would be elevated two months prior to the resignation date announced by Mattis. Trump accelerated Mattis's departure date after reportedly becoming angered by the media coverage of his resignation letter,
due to language in Mattis’ resignation letter which criticized Trump's worldview.
Shanahan assumed the office on January 1, 2019.
Shanahan made an unannounced trip to
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
on February 11, 2019, meeting with President
Ashraf Ghani
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan politician, academic, and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was overthrown by the Taliban.
Born in ...
, the country's chief executive
Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah ( Dari/ ps, عبدالله عبدالله, ; born as Abdullah on 5 September 1960) is an Afghan politician who led the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) from May 2020 until August 2021, when the Afghan government w ...
, and defense minister
Asadullah Khalid
Asadullah Khalid is a politician in Afghanistan. He served as head of the National Directorate of Security (NDS), which is the domestic intelligence agency of Afghanistan. Before his appointment as the head of the NDS in September 2012, Khalid ser ...
during the first few hours of his trip.
Shanahan visited the
US–Mexico Border on February 23, 2019, with
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff USMC General
Joseph Dunford
Joseph Francis Dunford Jr. (born December 23, 1955) is a retired United States Marine Corps four-star general, who served as the 19th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2015, until September 30, 2019. He was the 36th command ...
and Commander of the
Lt. Gen.
Todd T. Semonite for joint assessments with
Border Patrol,
DHS
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-ter ...
, and others.
In late March 2019, news sources reported that Shanahan was under investigation by
Office of Inspector General
In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to ma ...
because of allegations he improperly advocated on behalf of his former employer, Boeing Co.
In a May 2019 internal memo, Shanahan ordered new restrictions on how information about global operational plans and orders are shared with Congress, such that summaries are provided rather than an actual plan or order that was requested.
On May 9, 2019, the White House announced that President Trump would nominate Shanahan as his second defense secretary, despite skepticism and even hostility from lawmakers and officials within the Department of Defense.
However, Shanahan withdrew from the confirmation process in June, following increased public scrutiny of several incidents and allegations of domestic violence involving Shanahan's ex-wife and son.
In a tweet addressing the withdrawal of the nomination, President Trump said that Shanahan intended to "devote more time to his family."
Career 2019-present
Since leaving government service in 2019, Shanahan has been appointed to serve on various boards of directors including Zanite Acquisition Corp. (2021),
Leidos
Leidos, formerly known as Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), is an American defense company, defense, Aerospace manufacturer, aviation, information technology (Lockheed Martin IS&GS), and biomedical research company headquart ...
(2022),
and
CAE Inc. (2022).
Awards and memberships
Current positions
* Member,
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...
in 2019 for aerospace industry leadership in commercial aircraft, missile defense and rotorcraft and for service to the Department of Defense.
* Fellow,
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a British multi-disciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community. Founded in 1866, it is the oldest aeronautical society in the world. Members, Fellows, ...
* Fellow,
Society of Manufacturing Engineers
SME (previously the Society of Manufacturing Engineers) is a non-profit student and professional association for educating and advancing the manufacturing industry in North America.
History
SME was founded in January 1932 at the height of the G ...
, 2004
* Associate Fellow,
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is a professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA is the U.S. representative on the International Astronautical Federation and the International Council of ...
Former positions
* Secretary and Treasurer,
American Helicopter Society International Board of Directors
* Chair of Board of Regents at
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
* Regent, University of Washington 2012–2017
* Board of directors,
American Parkinson Disease Association
The American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) is a grassroots advocacy organization for sufferers of Parkinson's disease and their families.
Founded in 1961, the APDA aims to "ease the burden" for Americans with Parkinson's disease, as well a ...
* Member, Washington Roundtable
Awards
* Distinguished Service (2019),
University of Washington
The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington.
Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...
College of Engineering
References
External links
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shanahan, Patrick M.
1962 births
American business executives
Bishop Blanchet High School alumni
Fellows of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Living people
MIT School of Engineering alumni
MIT Sloan School of Management alumni
Trump administration personnel
United States Deputy Secretaries of Defense
University of Washington College of Engineering alumni