Defense Secretary James Mattis said the transition to a new department head will go smoothly.
“SecDef Mattis will work with Deputy [Patrick] Shanahan and department leadership to ensure the DOD remains focused on the defense of the nation during this transition," Dana White, the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for public affairs, wrote in a tweet.
The statement came after President Donald Trump said that Mattis will leave his position on January 1, two months before he previously planned to depart, and that Shanahan, Mattis’s deputy, will serve as acting chief of the Pentagon.
Mattis announced his resignation last week after Trump said he would withdraw American troops from Syria, The Hill reported.
Mattis wrote in his resignation letter that Trump deserves a Defense Secretary "whose views are better aligned with yours" and said he was worried about the way the president treated American allies.
On his last day on January 1, Mattis is not expected to have a large, public farewell ceremony in an attempt to prevent further exacerbating tensions between himself and Trump, CNN reported.
A senior administration official said "It is just untenable to have someone stretch out over a long period of time when everyone knows they are a lame duck," adding that "there shouldn't be any ambiguity that the person in charge is following the president's policies."
Another source cited Trump’s dismay at the widespread coverage given to Mattis' resignation as the reason for forcing him to leave earlier than he originally planned, according to CNN.
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