WASHINGTON, June 21 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate Army Secretary Mark Esper to be the next secretary of defense, the White House said Friday, three days after the resignation of acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.
The White House also said that the president will nominate Pentagon comptroller David Norquist to be deputy defense secretary, and Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy to be army secretary.
On Tuesday, Trump said on social media platform Twitter that Shanahan had withdrawn from consideration to be defense secretary, a post which requires Senate confirmation and has remained vacant for about six months since James Mattis resigned over policy disagreements with the White House.