US Defense Secretary Selected
 

Announced by President-Elect Trump during a speech December 1 (subject to waiver from Congress on the requirement to be retired for more than 7 years before appointment - expected to be forthcoming):

James N "Mad Dog" Mattis, General USMC (Retired)

Former commands:

US Central Command
US Joint Forces Command
NATO SAC(T)
1 MEF

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Mattis

The F-35B program should survive then !

Since retirement from the military, Mattis has worked for FWA Consultants and also serves as a Member of the General Dynamics Board of Directors

same old, same old.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame...ivilian_career

Yeah....Yeah....Yeah....same old thing huh?

There is a side to General Mattis few know of outside of the US Marine Corps.

This guy is the real deal....an Officer of Marines in every essence of the word...and his Being.

How many Senior British Officers you know that ever did this on Christmas?


One Marine's View: That?s the kind of officer that Jim Mattis is. A Marine Christmas story

Here are some of the best words that the “Mad Dog” has had to offer:

1. “I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.”

(San Diego Union Tribune)

AP

2. “The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”

(Business Insider)

3. “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you **** with me, I’ll kill you all.”

(San Diego Union Tribune)

4. “Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.”

(San Diego Union Tribune)

Flickr

5. “Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.”

(Business Insider)

6. “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”

(San Diego Union Tribune)

7. “The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”

(San Diego Union Tribune)

8. “You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”

(Mattis’ Letter To 1st Marine Division)

Gen. Mattis in 2006 / Flickr

9. “There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.”

(Business Insider)

10. “No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.”

Interesting story behind the sacking of Joe Dowdy.

http://www.business.unr.edu/faculty/simmonsb/badm720/wsjdowdy.doc

I always thought America had a secretary of attack?!!!

He sounds like Trump's kind of guy: "Kill. Them."

Was he in Dr Strangelove?

One big problem in his appointment, its against the law (1947 National Security Act). He has to have been off the active list for 7 years before he can be considered. That regulation has been by-passed once, when George C Marshall was made SecDef in 1950, but he had already been in government as SecState and the appointment was driven by the fact that the US was involved in a major war (Korea) and Truman needed somebody trusted to keep his egotistic field commanders in line (which Marshall was known to be capable of doing).

You do understand the Republicans control both Houses of Congress....right?

They write a Bill that grants an exception for Mattis on a one time basis...get a simple majority vote and it goes to the President's Desk to be signed.

Reckon President Trump will sign the Bill?

You thought wrongly. Here are the facts. Up until 1947 defense reorganization act (which gave birth to the USAF) we had a Secretary of the Navy and a Secretary of War. After 1947, the Secretary of the Navy became subordinate to the Secretary of Defense, as were the other two service secretaries.
Our department of defense is like any other nation's Ministry of Defense.


Now you know; there will be no charge for this remedial education. :8


@MAINJAFAD: no, it's not against the law. It is within the law providing the request for waiver is approved by Congress. If they don't approve the request, the appointment cannot go forward and another choice presented. ALL cabinet posts are subject to "advice and consent of the Senate." Any other remedial education that you request will be provided at the usual rates. :8

Lonewolf, Thanks for the correction, however there must be something in written law about this 7 year limit and why it exists. Yes congress can waive the limit, but they haven't in almost 70 years and when they did so the person they gave the waiver to was ideally qualified to do what was required (because he had already been involved in building up an armed services from next to nothing peace time force to a War time one).

No, I assure you he is quite different. Perhaps like most took on some lucrative consulting gigs post retirement, but in most other ways he is quite different. I worked in one of his commands and met him a few times.


And no MPN11 he is not a war monger, but he fully understands the nastiness of war, and he is not afraid to talk about it. If it comes to fighting he will be prepared and do it right.

MAINJAFAD, I suspect that the Republicans may well waive the limit this time, not because it is the right thing to do but, as SASless points out, because they can. I suspect too that we'll be seeing a lot of this over the next four years.

What makes you think that this man is not uniquely qualified? He is very much up to scratch on what is or isn't required for the military of this day and age. We've had a variety of DoD leaders who were barely qualified (Cohen comes to mind) but nominated anyway and not having to deal with a waiver (having never served).

Also: what's your beef here? Your location is Herfordshire so I'll assume you are a Brit. What's your skin in this game? Having someone competent in our DoD would make working with your MoD a better proposition, in terms of our special relationship. More to the point, someone with some common sense is a needed voice of reason in the ear of the President. (General Mattis has the reputation of ample supplies of common sense).
Here, from the British ragaka Daily Mail: @Al R: For context, I'd recommend that you take a look at the number of commanders (corps and division commanders) relieved during the war by General Patton, who was himself relieved of 7th Army command by Ike.

Senate will have the last word. And unless the Senate leadership uses the loophole that the last majority leader used, the waiver will be subject to a filibuster, best I see it.

The Democratic Senate harpooned Sen Tower from Texas back in the 80's, I seem to recall. Tink Bush I nominted him. No filibuster either. But he seemed a good choice. Cheney finally got the job.

If you look at Mattis' language, it sounds like Trump himself talking.

The troop looks good to this old warrior, and his last ten years or so have been heavily focused upon an area of the world that needs experience there.

gums: I remember the Tower hearings. Politics can be a dirty thing.

Lonewolf,

Thanks, I will.

Captain Dart...

About those quotes....

They should save the scriptwriters a job when "Apocalypse Now....the Sequel" is made.... in the not too distant future once he starts practicing what he seemingly preaches.

"Charlie don't surf" is getting a shade passé now....so it's always nice to have a more contemporary role model available in lieu of Kilgore.

Re. the Col. Dowdy incident, I believe that the real culprit was/is Gen. Kelly. Documented history of trying to insert himself into the -3 (operations) lane in order to try and polish his own apple. The most charitable characterization Gen. Kelly is integrity challenged to simultaneously raise himself while attacking competent subordinates. There are at least a couple of AARs that support this line of thinking. More than a little scuttlebutt about actually charging Gen. Kelly for his conduct in this (and a few other) matter. Ultimately another black eye for the USMC and admitting mistakes (to include how Gen. Kelly made it past 1stLt.) was decided against.

Gen. Mattis has been honest about the relief of Col. Dowdy, that it was a mistake. Col. Dowdy would not be the 1st nor last FMF type officer who has fallen to professional
staff pukes who do one tour in the FMF as junior officers then spend their career outside the FMF (school, Army of the Potomac, etc.) then come for a short tour as a LtCol. or Col. then back to staff work.

On the WSJ article about on other relief that is a falsehood. The CO of the Motor T Regiment was relieved within the 1st 24 hours and never even crossed the Iraq/Kuwait border. The relief was for stress, she was assigned as a MEF staff augmentee, then given a Bronze star for the actions of the Regiment that her XO led throughout, he did not receive an award for his leadership…

On the waiver we (USA) have a thing called the Constitution. In it allows the President to appoint people with very few conditions. Congress passing a law is not amending the Constitution. If Congress wants the law to stand then they will pass a waiver.

S/F, FOG