With two days of grueling confirmation hearings in the books, it’s time for Retired Marine General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense, to field some questions. In his prepared remarks, Mattis is expected to emphasize the importance of international alliances and bringing “business reforms to the Department of Defense by instilling budget discipline.” Per The Hill:
“We must embrace our international alliances and security partnerships. History is clear: nations with strong allies thrive and those without them wither,” he is expected to say.
The statement is somewhat of a departure from the rhetoric President-elect Donald Trump used on the campaign trail, where he called into question the value of alliances such as NATO.
Mattis will also list strengthening alliances as one of his priorities, along with strengthening military readiness and reforming the Pentagon. “If you confirm me, my watchwords will be solvency and security in providing for the protection of our people and the survival of our freedoms,” he will say.
“My priorities as secretary of Defense will be to strengthen military readiness, strengthen our alliances in league with our diplomatic partners, and bring business reforms to the Department of Defense by instilling budget discipline and holding our leaders accountable.”
Mattis retired from the military in 2013, and entered the business world as a board member of General Dynamics and Silicon Valley start-up Theranos. He resigned from Theranos earlier this month and will step down from General Dynamics if confirmed. Only three years removed from his military post, Mattis will need a waiver from Congress exempting him from a law requiring a Defense secretary to be out of uniform for at least seven years, a waiver the Congress hasn’t granted since 1950.
Senators will undoubtedly focus questioning today on how Mattis will approach Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East and his views on Russia’s alleged interference in the U.S. election process. Per Reuters:
Senators are expected to ask Mattis how he would grapple with Iran’s influence in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and beyond. Officials who knew him before he retired in 2013 said Mattis clashed with top Obama administration officials when he headed Central Command over his desire to better prepare for potential threats from Tehran.
His support for stiffer responses to Russia could endear him to Republicans. Senior Republicans on the committee are pushing for a harsher response to what U.S. spy agencies say was the Kremlin’s meddling in the U.S. presidential election.
As background, here is Mattis’ bio courtesy of Bloomberg:
Mr. James N. Mattis, also known as Jim, was a Commander at the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) from November 2007 to August 2010. Mr. Mattis served as U.S. Marine Corps General and served as Commander of the U.S. Central Command from August 2010 to March 2013. He served as NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation from November 2007 to September 2009.
He served in many leadership roles during more than 40 years of service with the U.S. Marine Corps. As a lieutenant colonel, Mr. Mattis commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, an assault battalion in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He was a Brigadier General, where he commanded the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Task Force 58 during Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. He was a Major General and commanded the 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Mr. Mattis holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Central Washington State University and is a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College and the National War College.
He served for more than 41 years of service to the nation. He retired from the Marine Corps in May 2013.
And here are a couple of “Mad Dog’s” famous one-liners to help set the stage for a day of hearings:
“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.”
“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.”
“Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
“The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”
“I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”
With that, here is a live stream of the festivities:
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