Patrick M. Shanahan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick M. Shanahan
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Official portrait, 2018
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| Acting United States Secretary of Defense | |
| In office January 1, 2019 – June 23, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Deputy | David Norquist (acting) |
| Preceded by | Jim Mattis |
| Succeeded by | Mark Esper (acting) |
| 33rd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense | |
| In office July 19, 2017 – January 1, 2019 |
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| President | Donald Trump |
| Secretary |
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| Preceded by | Robert O. Work |
| Succeeded by | David Norquist |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Patrick Michael Shanahan
June 27, 1962 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | |
Patrick Michael Shanahan (born June 27, 1962) is an American businessman. He is currently the president and chief executive officer of Spirit AeroSystems. Before this, he worked for the United States federal government. In 2019, he was the acting United States Secretary of Defense. This is a very important job in the U.S. government.
President Donald Trump chose Shanahan for this role. This happened after the previous Secretary, Jim Mattis, resigned. Before becoming acting Secretary, Shanahan was the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 2017 to 2019. He also worked at Boeing for 30 years in many different positions.
On May 9, 2019, the White House said President Trump planned to officially nominate Shanahan as Secretary of Defense. However, on June 18, 2019, Shanahan decided to withdraw his name. President Trump then announced that Mark Esper would become the acting Secretary. Shanahan's last day in the acting Secretary position was June 24, 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Patrick Shanahan was born on June 27, 1962. His birthplace was Palo Alto, California. He grew up in Seattle, Washington. In 1980, he graduated from Bishop Blanchet High School there.
Shanahan then went to the University of Washington. He earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in mechanical engineering. Later, he earned a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in mechanical engineering. This degree was from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He also earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Career at Boeing (1986–2017)
Shanahan started working at Boeing in 1986. He first worked in Computer Services. He also joined the team for the Boeing 777 airplane program. During his time at Boeing, he held many leadership jobs. He managed programs for missile defense systems. He also worked on commercial airplanes like the 737, 747, 767, 777, and 787.
Shanahan was known as "Mr. Fix-it" at Boeing. This nickname started around 2008. He helped improve the Boeing 787 program. He was a vice president and general manager for the Boeing 757 program. In this role, he was in charge of designing, producing, and making the 757 planes profitable. He also held leadership roles for the Boeing 767 program. He worked in the fabrication division too.
Later, Shanahan became vice president and general manager for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. This was in Philadelphia. He was responsible for all U.S. Army Aviation programs. These included the V-22 Osprey, CH-47 Chinook, and AH-64D Apache helicopters.
In December 2004, Shanahan led Boeing Missile Defense Systems. He oversaw important defense projects. These included the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system and the Airborne Laser. From 2007 to 2008, he led the Boeing 787 Dreamliner program. In December 2008, he became senior vice president of Airplane Programs.
In April 2016, he became senior vice president, Supply Chain & Operations. His job involved managing manufacturing and suppliers. He also worked on new manufacturing technologies. Shanahan was a member of the Boeing Executive Council.
Work at the Department of Defense (2017–2019)
Deputy Secretary of Defense Role
On March 16, 2017, President Trump announced his plan to nominate Shanahan. He wanted Shanahan to be the 33rd United States Deputy Secretary of Defense. This is the second-highest civilian job at the Pentagon. President Trump nominated Shanahan to help with plans to make the military larger.
Shanahan's confirmation hearing was on June 20, 2017. During the hearing, Senator John McCain questioned Shanahan. Shanahan was confirmed by the United States Senate with a vote of 92–7. This happened on July 18, 2017. He officially became the Deputy Secretary of Defense on July 19, 2017.
Acting Secretary of Defense Role
President Trump announced that Shanahan would become acting Defense Secretary. This happened on January 1, 2019. This was earlier than first planned. Trump changed the date after the resignation of Jim Mattis.
Shanahan made a surprise trip to Afghanistan on February 11, 2019. He met with leaders there. He also visited the US–Mexico border on February 23, 2019. He went with military leaders to assess the situation.
In late March 2019, news reports said Shanahan was being investigated. This was by the Office of Inspector General. There were claims he might have unfairly helped his old company, Boeing. In May 2019, Shanahan changed how some information was shared with Congress.
On May 9, 2019, the White House announced Trump would nominate Shanahan as his second defense secretary. However, Shanahan withdrew his name in June. He said he wanted to spend more time with his family. President Trump confirmed this in a tweet.
After Government Service
After leaving government in 2019, Shanahan joined several company boards. These include Zanite Acquisition Corp. (2021), Leidos (2022), and CAE Inc. (2022). On October 2, 2023, Shanahan was named interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. He was already a member of the company's board of directors.
Personal Life
Patrick Shanahan lives in Seattle. He lives there with his wife, Adrienne Shanahan. He has three children from a previous marriage.
Awards and Memberships
Current Positions and Memberships
- Member, National Academy of Engineering (since 2019). This was for his leadership in aerospace.
- Fellow, Royal Aeronautical Society
- Fellow, Society of Manufacturing Engineers (since 2004)
- Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
Former Positions and Memberships
- Secretary and Treasurer, American Helicopter Society International Board of Directors
- Chair of Board of Regents at University of Washington
- Regent, University of Washington (2012–2017)
- Board of directors, American Parkinson Disease Association
- Member, Washington Roundtable
Awards Received
- Distinguished Service (2019), University of Washington College of Engineering
See also
In Spanish: Patrick M. Shanahan para niños
