Another high-profile departure from the Trump administration. The US President has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. The sacking ends Tillerson's rocky 14-month tenure. Wasting no time, the president has already nominated a possible replacement. CGTN's Roee Ruttenberg has more on the cabinet shake-up.  

Rex Tillerson, the outgoing U.S. Secretary of State, used his farewell address on Tuesday to thank American diplomats and the American people.

REX TILLERSON OUTGOING US SECRETARY OF STATE "Thank you for your devotion to a free and open society, to acts of kindness toward one another, to honesty, and the quiet hard work that you do every day to support this government with your tax dollars."

The CEO-turned-Cabinet member notably did not thank his boss, the U.S. president. Trump fired Tillerson his top diplomat hours earlier in a tweet. And announced his replacement: current CIA director, Mike Pompeo.

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "I've worked with Mike Pompeo now for quite some time -- tremendous energy, tremendous intellect. We're always on the same wavelength. The relationship has been very good and that's what I need as Secretary of State."

It was no secret Tillerson and Trump didn't see eye-to-eye.

Tillerson was reportedly caught off-guard last week when Trump accepted an invitation to meet with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un. It was delivered by the South Koreans directly to the president himself.

As for Pompeo, he is considered a defense hawk. A former Congressman from Kansas, he was appointed CIA Director by Trump last year. And reportedly enjoyed a good rapport with agency staff, something Tillerson struggled to achieve at State.

Pompeo favors a tough line on Tehran -- echoing Trump in calling for more provisions and checks to be included in the Iran nuclear deal. Or, scrapping the deal completely.

He's been less critical of Russia than Tillerson has -- one reason, critics say, he may be in and Tillerson out.

RICHARD BLUMENTHAL US DEMOCRATIC SENATOR "This administration has perfected the game of musical chairs to a constant churn that undermines the constancy and consistency of American foreign policy and undermines our national security."

Pompeo's nomination still has to be approved by the U.S. Senate. His hearing is scheduled to start in April but could take months to complete. During that time, Trump is supposed to meet with Kim Jong Un. But an absence of a confirmed Secretary of State now threatens to jeopardize that historic summit.

ROEE RUTTENBERG WASHINGTON, DC "Trump also appointed Gina Haspel to replace Pompeo as the new director of the CIA. If confirmed, she'd be the first woman to hold the top post. But she is not without controversy. She ran a CIA 'black site' in Thailand, and oversaw the waterboarding of at least two detainees. And then, she tried to have videotapes of that destroyed. She and Pompeo have both defended the use of torture in the past. No doubt they'll face tough questions about that - and much more - during their confirmation hearings. Roee Ruttenberg, CGTN, in Washington."