Boeing VP Nominated to Deputy Defense Secretary Post

President Trump has nominated Patrick Shanahan to the post of deputy Defense secretary.

Shanahan is the vice president of Boeing, and joins five other nominees for Pentagon posts announced by the White House today.

In his time with Boeing, Shanahan has served as the senior VP of airplane programs, overseeing the 737, 747, 767, 777 and 787 programs.

He has been the senior VP for supply chain and operations since April 2016, handling manufacturing and supplier management.

He’s also been the vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems, and before that, the vice president and general manager for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia. In that role, he was responsible for U.S. Army Aviation programs and site activities in Philadelphia and Mesa, Ariz., where there are facilities for the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the CH-47 Chinook and the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.

President Trump, who has previously owned stock in Boeing, claimed the costs of the companies Air Force One program (two new 747s) was out of control. After a meeting with the CEO, however, Trump claims to have cut the costs to the program.

Defense Secretary James Mattis ordered a review of Air Force One program back in January, in an attempt to pinpoint savings, where possible.

At that time, an Obama appointee, Bob Work, was in the deputy Defense secretary role, so it’s unknown whether Shanahan will have to recuse himself, in the event that review is still ongoing.

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