U.S. President Donald Trump (L) listens next to Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan during a Cabinet meeting on day 12 of the partial U.S. government shutdown at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 2, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young
Business Insider: Trump's new Pentagon chief reportedly said the $1 trillion F-35 is 'f-----' and shouldn't have been made
* Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has reportedly been railing against Lockheed Martin's F-35 in private meetings, Politico reported Wednesday.
* At one point, he reportedly described the Joint Strike Fighter program as "f---ed up," arguing that Boeing could have done a better job.
* Shanahan has signed a ethics agreement recusing himself from participating in matters involving his former company, a leading US defense contractor.
The new defense chief, a former Boeing employee, has reportedly been extremely critical Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter in private meetings, raising questions about whether he is biased in overseeing the largest weapons program in history.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who took over in the wake of former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis' resignation, spent over 30 years at Boeing before he joined the Department of Defense in 2017 as the deputy secretary of defense.
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WNU Editor: The source for this remark is anonymous. What's my take. I hope it is true. The F-35 is over-budget and years late. People have to be held accountable for this screw-up, and none so far. As for those who oppose the Acting U.S. Secretary of Defense, the rumour mill is starting .... New Pentagon chief under scrutiny over perceived Boeing bias (Politico).
