Trump to oust defense secreatary Mattis two months early, announces new replacement

US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday he would replace Defense Secretary James Mattis at the start of the new year, two months earlier than Mattis' planned departure, the CNN reports.

"I am pleased to announce that our very talented Deputy Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, will assume the title of Acting Secretary of Defense starting January 1, 2019. Patrick has a long list of accomplishments while serving as Deputy, & previously Boeing. He will be great!" Trump tweeted.

Mattis announced his resignation on Thursday with a letter saying his views were not aligned with Trump, who said Mattis would retire at the end of February.

Mattis' last day is expected to be Jan. 1, according to a source familiar with the matter. He is not expected to have a big, public farewell ceremony to try to prevent further exacerbating tensions between himself and Trump, the source said.

In his resignation letter, Mattis cited posture hearings on Capitol Hill where he would have faced questions on Trump's decision to pull out of Syria and Afghanistan and a NATO ministerial conference as reasons for his staying on until the end of February.

A senior administration official briefed a handful of reporters on the decision, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified Mattis about Sunday morning.

The official said the idea is to help ensure a smooth transition to the new secretary, whose nomination is expected "shortly."

"It is just untenable to have someone stretch out over a long period of time when everyone knows they are a lame duck," the official said, adding that in order to ensure the smoothest transition with Congress, administration and allies, "there shouldn't be any ambiguity that the person in charge is following the president's policies. "

The official said that Shanahan had been essentially "running the building" while Mattis worked on policy and outreach to military and allies.

A source familiar with the matter said Trump was mad at the extensive coverage given to Mattis' resignation and therefore was forcing him to leave earlier than he originally planned.

Pentagon spokesman Col. Rob Manning said in a statement that "the secretary of defense serves at the pleasure of the President. The department remains focused on national security."

The Pentagon updated its statement later Sunday, with chief Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White tweeting, "The Secretary of Defense serves at the pleasure of the President. #SecDef Mattis will work with Deputy Shanahan and department leadership to ensure the #DOD remains focused on the defense of the nation during this transition."