The No. 2 official at the Pentagon announced on Thursday that he is stepping down.

Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn III is leaving his position “to return to private life,” according to the Department of Defense. The move didn’t come as a surprise, and it opens the door for newly-appointed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to select a new second-in-command.

Recommended Stories

DOJ suing Maryland public school system over alleged ‘secret gender transitions’

Kylian Mbappe shouldn’t apologize for calling Mao a dictator

Judge overseeing Maduro case dies at 92