For Immediate Release 
December 6, 2016

President-Elect Donald J. Trump Intends to Nominate General James Mattis as Secretary of the United States Department of Defense

(New York, NY) – President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced his intent to nominate General James Mattis, retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general, to serve as Secretary of the United States Department of Defense. Among the most decorated and legendary leaders in our country, Gen. Mattis has spent his life defending America in numerous theaters of war.
 
Gen. Mattis commanded at multiple levels during his 44 year career as an infantry Marine. Before retiring in 2013, he was the Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), directing military operations of more than 200,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and Marines across the Middle East. Gen. Mattis has been at the forefront of the development of our nation’s counterinsurgency tactics, and has earned accolades for his ferocity, intellect and dedication, making him one of the foremost defense experts in the world.
 
“I am proud to nominate General James Mattis to Secretary of Defense,” said President-elect Trump. “He is one of the most effective generals and extraordinary leaders of our time, who has committed his life to his love for our country. General Mattis is the living embodiment of the Marine Corps motto, ‘Semper Fidelis,’ always faithful, and the American people are fortunate that a man of his character and integrity will now be the civilian leader atop the Department of Defense. Under his leadership, we will rebuild our military and alliances, destroy terrorists and face our enemies head on, and make America safe again.”
 
“I am honored by President-elect Trump's nomination and his respect for the brave men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States,” said Gen. Mattis. “To the President-elect, our soon to be commander in chief, to our military personnel, to the talented civilians in the Department of Defense, and to the American people, I pledge the best of my abilities to ensuring a strong and secure America.”
 
Gen. Mattis is a native of Pullman, Washington. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Central Washington University and was commissioned a second lieutenant through ROTC in 1972.
 
As a lieutenant colonel, Gen. Mattis commanded an assault battalion breaching the Iraqi minefields in Operation Desert Storm. As a colonel, he commanded the 7th Marine Regiment and, on Pentagon duty, he served as the Department of Defense Executive Secretary. As a brigadier general he was the Senior Military Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense.
 
Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Gen. Mattis, led the Special Operation Forces against  the Taliban in Afghanistan. As a major general, he commanded the First Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq. As a general, he served concurrently as the Commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command and as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation.
 
As a two-star general, Gen. Mattis led the First Marine Division from Kuwait to Baghdad in a matter of weeks in 2003, annihilating Saddam Hussein's defenses and reaching Baghdad faster and with fewer losses than anyone could have expected. 


In November 2007, Gen. Mattis was promoted to four-star general. He became Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) in 2010 and directed operations across the Middle East before retiring in 2013. Working closely with Gen. Petraeus, Gen. Mattis produced the revolutionary Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual, the definitive work on how the U.S. military should deal with Iraqi insurgents. He is co-editor of the book, Warriors & Citizens: American Views of Our Military.
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American Bridge 21st Century
December 6, 2016

American Bridge Statement on Trump's Nomination of General James Mattis

American Bridge President Jessica Mackler issued the following statement on Trump's nomination of General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense:

"Here's hoping that General Mattis will be able to talk Trump out of his calls for torture and other war crimes, and keep Trump off the path of becoming like the dictators he so admires."

"It will be on General Mattis and Trump's other national security and defense advisers to keep Trump from being manipulated by Vladimir Putin, but given future National Security Advisor Mike Flynn's deep Kremlin ties, it's likely the bulk of that responsibility will fall to Mattis. Hopefully Mattis will be up for the task, even though Trump says our generals 'haven't done the job' lately.

"It's fascinating that Trump is surrounding himself with generals despite claiming to 'know more than the generals do,' but perhaps that's to be expected of someone who says he 'loves' war."


Family Research Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 2, 2016
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Alice Chao

FRC's Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin Praises Selection of Gen. Mattis for Secretary of Defense

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Jerry Boykin, former U.S. Army Delta Force commander and current Family Research Council executive vice president, made the following comments in praising President-elect Trump's choice of retired Marine Gen. James N. Mattis as the next Secretary of Defense:

"General Mattis is first and foremost a warrior. He understands what is needed now in order to restore military readiness and to reestablish the warrior ethos.

"The selection of Mattis is a strong indication that President-elect Trump is serious about restoring the nation's military to where it needs to be. The services are struggling to meet their goals because of the declining morale of service members and the social experiments that have become pervasive. I'm confident that Gen. Mattis will make recruiting and retention of the best people a priority.

"General Mattis will be a great secretary of defense," concluded Boykin.

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