Washington: US President Donald Trump on Thursday fired his Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and nominated White House physician, Admiral Ronny Jackson as his replacement.
Trump made the announcement on Twitter and later issued a separate statement thanking Shulkin for his services.
"I am pleased to announce that I intend to nominate highly respected Admiral Ronny L.Jackson, MD, as the new Secretary of Veterans Affairs....," Trump wrote on Twitter.
"I appreciate the work of Dr. David Shulkin and the many great things we did together at Veterans Affairs, including the VA Accountability Act that he was helpful in getting passed. He has been a great supporter of veterans across the country and I am grateful for his service," Trump said in a later statement.
Early this month, Trump had unceremoniously fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and nominated Mike Pompeo, the CIA Director, for the top diplomatic position in his cabinet.
Both the cabinet positions need to be confirmed by the US Senate.
"In the interim, Hon. Robert Wilkie of DOD will serve as Acting Secretary. I am thankful for Dr. David Shulkin's service to our country and to our GREAT VETERANS!," Trump said in another tweet.
Trump said Jackson was highly trained and qualified.
"As a service member himself, he has seen firsthand the tremendous sacrifice our veterans make and has a deep appreciation for the debt our great country owes them," he said in a separate statement.