Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, President Donald Trump's pick for the top Defense role, has withdrawn from the confirmation process, according to a tweet by the president on Tuesday.
"Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family," Trump wrote.
The president also announced that Army Secretary Mark Esper will be new acting secretary. Before Esper's confirmation in 2017, he was vice president for Government Relations at the Raytheon Company, and served in the Army during the Gulf War.
This story is developing and will be updated.