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(FILES) In this picture dated July 18, 2017 US President Donald Trump and Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan (R), are seen during a cabinet meeting on July 18, 2018, at the White House in Washington, DC. - Donald Trump on December 23, 2018 announced he would replace Defense Secretary Jim Mattis with his deputy Patrick Shanahan, days after the outgoing Pentagon chief quit while citing key policy differences with the US president. "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," the Republican leader tweeted, accelerating Mattis's planned departure by two months. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP) (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)