Late Thursday, President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would appoint retired Marine General James Mattis – nicknamed “Mad Dog” – as Secretary of Defense. "They say he's the closest thing to General George Patton that we have,” stated Trump, continuing, “and it's about time."
Known for his extreme dedication to the United States military, and a penchant for blunt, unfettered comments, Mattis’ positions do not always align perfectly with those of the President-elect and his National Security Advisor, retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn. While they agree on issues like Iran, Mattis has taken a strong stance on the Russian threat to NATO and stated that Trump’s proposal for a Muslim ban “is causing us great damage right now.”
The Cipher Brief asked retired General Jack Keane, former Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army – who President-elect Trump previously asked to serve as Secretary of Defense – to tell us a little bit more about General Mattis as a man, a Marine, and a leader in the Defense Community.
TCB: General Mattis is going to be appointed Secretary of Defense – what do you think about that?
General Jack Keane: I’m all for it. Quite frankly, when I withdrew my name from consideration for the same position, I was asked by the President-elect what would my recommendation be – and it was General Jim Mattis, who he had knowledge of and brought in for an interview a few days later.
I’m absolutely delighted this is the choice, because he will serve with distinction. He’s got wartime experience – the country is at war. I’m convinced the President-elect is going to break from President Obama’s past of never embracing the fact that the country is at war—certainly not even considering winning these wars, but was more concerned with ending them. I think Mr. Trump will take a totally different viewpoint: that if we’re committed to a war, then it’s something we should win.
TCB: What kind of leader is General Mattis?
JK: He’s very thoughtful, serious, contemplative – not prone to impulsive decisions. At the same time, very direct, blunt, straight talking. People know exactly where he’s coming from – there’s no ambiguity with him. He can be quite cerebral and at the same time, be quite tough and demanding.
TCB: What do you think the dynamic between General Mattis and Lieutenant General Flynn will might be? Is there anything to the idea that the difference in their ranks might cause conflict?
JK: No, I don’t see that at all. Cabinet-level positions – particularly Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense – in the hierarchy are positions of greater significance than a National Security Advisor, who is a critical staff advisor to the President of the United States. The Director of the National Security Council coordinates the implementation of the president’s policy decisions with the cabinet-level officers. But there’s a clear distinction between the senior cabinet level officers who must receive confirmation from the Congress and a staff position inside the White House that does not require confirmation. They are different roles, to be sure, and I believe that they will complement each other, exceedingly well, in terms of working together.
TCB: How is General Mattis viewed within the Pentagon?
JK: Highly regarded, respected. He just left government a few years ago, so the transition will be very smooth by comparison to other Secretaries of Defense. He can be effective almost on day one; he’s very current with the world situation. He’s conversant with the challenges the Pentagon is having given the drawdown that is taking place and will be looking to rebuild the military as part of President Trump’s policy and commitment to the American people. That will go exceedingly well.
TCB: How will his background as a Marine affect his approach to issues?
JK: A Marine – or anybody who is associated with ground combat – sees war very close up. They’ve largely spent a life of service with death – it is a silent companion – and has had to deal with not only the horrors of those deaths but also consoling family members who lose their loved ones. A disproportionate loss of life has always been [part of] ground combat units in the history of the United States military. That has a dramatic impact on any leader who deals with that over a period of time – an impact on the fabric of a human being. I believe it impacts his compassion, his respect for human life, and what will be an extraordinary commitment to the troops that we have and the sacrifices that they make on behalf of our country.
TCB: On key national security issues - Afghanistan, Iraq, ISIS, Iran, the South China Sea, North Korea - what approach do you expect General Mattis to take?
JK: Well, I can’t speak for him. But I think he knows that if the United States commits itself to war, then we should win the war. What happened in Iraq was an absolute disaster, with the Obama Administration pulling our troops out of Iraq in 2011 after President Bush and General Petraeus essentially won that war. President Obama chose to lose the peace.
Can you imagine if President Truman chose to do the same thing after World War II in Germany, Italy, and Japan? And if General Eisenhower did the same thing in Korea after the Korean War? All those countries evolved into flourishing democracies today and have a level of prosperity where people are living a much higher quality of life than if the United States wasn’t there as a guarantor for their progress and development.
That’s the tragedy of President Obama – not even understanding his own American history and making a policy decision like that. Secretary of Defense Mattis would clearly be very aware that you not only commit to win a war but that how you end it is at times much more important than how you begin it.
TCB: If I could compare that to Afghanistan – that was a war that “ended” not long after it began after 9/11 - but it’s still not won today. In terms of ending the war in Iraq, do you think it can be won?
JK: The Afghanistan war is not winnable. That is the harsh reality as it currently stands, due to Obama’s policy decisions in 2009, when Generals McChrystal and Petraeus were asked to present a plan to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and support a counter insurgency strategy that had been so successful in Iraq.
President Obama decided to reject their recommendation of a minimum of 40,000 troops to defeat the Taliban; he reduced that recommendation by 25 percent to 30,000. Additionally, he pulled those so-called surge forces out after 15 months. Those two decisions reduced Afghanistan to a protracted war that’s not winnable.
TCB: Let’s return to General Mattis. Do you think it’s advisable to continue such policies as Ash Carter’s push for cutting edge technology in DoD and the defense community?
JK: Yes, absolutely. We have fallen behind our adversaries in advancing technology, something we had been dominant in. They have caught up to us in precision guided munitions, our GPS guided satellite technology, cyber warfare. The Russians have a tank that’s more advanced than our tank and is on the battlefield today. The United States army is talking about similar capability in 2035.
I believe General Mattis and the Trump Administration will push very hard for advanced research, advanced technologies and break the cycle of 15 to 20 years to get them in the hands of our troops. I don’t believe they will tolerate that, and I think the business side of the Pentagon will be dramatically addressed by this administration.
While we fight wars better than anybody in the world, the business of the Pentagon, which occupies a very large portion of the budget, means we are absolutely third rate at it.
For more of General Keane's thoughts on President-elect Donald Trump's choice for Secertary of Defense, listen to our full podcast interview here.
