Patrick Shanahan

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down on June 18 before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a "painful" family situation that would hurt his children and reopen "wounds we have worked years to heal."

U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar remain in contact about Ankara's plans to buy a Russian air defense system, and may meet during NATO meetings in Brussels next week, NATO's commander told Reuters.

Turkey Defense Minister Hulusi Akar had a phone call with U. S. Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, following the latter's letter announcing Washington's decision to cease Turkish participation in the F-35 aircraft project.

U.S. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said on June 11 he will discuss Washington's spat with Ankara over its purchase of Russia's S-400 missile defense system with his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on June 12.   

Comments last week by Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, who drew parallels between Moscow's "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior following the near-collision between US and Russian warships in the Philippine Sea and Turkey's moves in the Eastern Mediterranean, pointed to something much more profound and significant than the usual occasional statements.

WASHINGTON - The US ponder their next diplomatic moves towards Turkey, as they share the concern of Athens about the aggression of its neighbor in Cyprus and the Aegean.

U.S. President Donald Trump on May 9 said he will nominate Patrick Shanahan to be his second secretary of defense, putting an end to months of speculation about the former Boeing executive's standing in the administration.

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has said he wants Turkey to remain in the F-35 fighter jet program, but added that Ankara needed to buy the Patriot missile defense system as Washington looks to increase pressure on its NATO ally to drop the purchase of Russia's S-400 defense system.