Former Maine Republican politician and Navy reserve captain Charles Summers has been named as the new chief spokesman for the Pentagon, replacing Dana White, who held the post under outgoing Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
In a one-sentence announcement Monday, the Pentagon's office of press affairs said Summers "will be the Acting Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs beginning 1 January" to serve as the principal media assistant to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, Fox News reported.
The replacement of White, who had a sometimes testy relationship with Pentagon reporters, had been expected since Mattis announced his resignation on Dec. 20. Summers had been serving as Principal Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.
"I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by this administration to serve alongside Secretary Mattis, our Service members and all the civilians who support them. It has been my honor and privilege," Summera wrote on his Twitter page.
