Patrick Michael Shanahan (born June 27, 1962) is an American businessman and the president and chief executive officer of Spirit AeroSystems.

[4][5] That decision was reversed on June 18, 2019, when Shanahan said that he was withdrawing,[6] and Trump announced that he would be making Mark Esper the acting U.S. Secretary of Defense.

degree in mechanical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the MIT Sloan School of Management.

[3] 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.

[24] On March 16, 2017, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Shanahan as the 33rd Deputy Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon's second-highest civilian position.

Work, the Deputy Secretary of Defense at the end of the Obama administration, remained in the position until Shanahan's confirmation.

[17] President Trump initially announced that Shanahan would be elevated on February 28, 2019, to Acting Defense Secretary, when the Jim Mattis resignation was originally to become effective.

[37] Shanahan visited the US–Mexico border on February 23, 2019, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff USMC General Joseph Dunford and Commander of the United States Army Corps of Engineers Lt. Gen. Todd T. Semonite for joint assessments with Border Patrol, DHS, and others.

[6] In a tweet addressing the withdrawal of the nomination, President Trump said that Shanahan intended to "devote more time to his family.

"[41] Since leaving government service in 2019, Shanahan has been appointed to serve on various boards of directors including Zanite Acquisition Corp. (2021),[42] Leidos (2022),[43] and CAE Inc.