I have been privileged to serve as our country’s 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.
I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department’s business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong US global influence.
One core belief I have always held is that our strength as a nation is inextricably linked to the strength of our unique and comprehensive system of alliances and partnerships. While the US remains the indispensable nation in the free world, we cannot protect our interests or serve that role effectively without maintaining strong alliances and showing respect to those allies. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO’s 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.
Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model—gaining veto authority over other nations’ economic, diplomatic, and security decisions—to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.
My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. We must do everything possible to advance an international order that is most conducive to our security, prosperity and values, and we are strengthened in this effort by the solidarity of our alliances.
Because you have the right to a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department’s interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.
I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.
I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.
James N. Mattis
Next up. I liked Mad Dog and wish him well. He will be succeed by another patriot.
The Marshall Plan officially the European Recovery Program, ERP) was an American initiative to aid Western Europe. $100 billion in 2016 US dollars in economic assistance to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of World War II. We have spent nearly 20 times in Afghanistan after 17 years what we spent rebuilding Europe. And it’s not really any better now than it was 17 years ago. Time to start removing our troops. U.S. spending of more than $7 trillion(7,000,000,000,000) on conflicts and reconstruction efforts in the Middle East, Syria and Afghanistan.
Mattis did a good job for 2 years, he’s old and tired, time to go.
AceofSpades Nails It:
By the way, there’s a speculation that goes around that I think may be true about Trump’s relationship with Mattis, McMasters, etc.
The idea is that they try to Option C him.
That’s where you know what the President wants, so you write up three options for him. One is his preferred option. But instead of presenting a reasonable plan for accomplishing his preference, you write it up as Option A, which is planned to be abrupt, sudden, destabilizing, and catastrophic as possible, so that no one would actually pick it, even if they were pre-inclined to.
They you present another Option which is an exaggerated, catastrophic version of what you actually want him to do. This is Option B.
Then you present to him Option C, which is a reasonable sounding version of what you want to do.
So you present him these three options. One’s what he wants, but in an unacceptable form. One is a grotesque parody of what you want, which is presented to make the version of what you want, Option C, seem much more reasonable and wise.
It’s pretty much a forced choice because you’ve arranged it so that no one would pick anything except Option C.
The Simpsons Movie did a more primitive version of this.
Anyway, what people speculate is that whenever Trump wants something, they present it in the distorted, catastrophic form of Option A— the option written up as severely as possible to dissuade him from picking it.
And the further speculation is that he has figured out they’re doing this and just says, “Yeah, good — give me Option A.”
http://ace.mu.nu/archives/378796.php
This deep state prick should’ve been canned a long time ago. He opposed the President’s decision to withdraw from the Paris “climate change” accords, opposed decertifying the Iran deal, opposed tariffs on steel and aluminum (a move by the Prez that brought countless jobs to America), and opposed moving the embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. And Oh yeah, and he was FOR trannies in the military. Good riddance to globalist trash.
Would an ally spread lies about our incoming President, & help to overthrow him? I believe at least one, and maybe more “allies” did that.
He wants to damage Trump on his way out the door. Democrats are all the same, it’s all about party, not country. Mattis knew Trumps philosophy when he took the job. He could have left with dignity and appreciation for being chosen for such a critical and honored position. But now he wants to throw a grande on his way out. That makes him a POS in my book.
Well Bye.
Just a few months ago Trump said that he thought Mattis was a Democrat.
If Mattis disagreed with Trump’s vision he was compelled to either convince Trump otherwise or, as he has just done, resign.
Of course the media, the anti-Trumpers, the Trump haters and the Deep State will express shock and horror and the pressure that will be exerted against Trump will be loud and it will be long. I trust he will continue to have the courage and the strength to prevail. If he ends up being a one term president, so be it. You can’t fault the guy for saying what he will do then doing what he says.
However, I don’t know how anyone who has been paying attention to Trump can be too shocked that this is happening. I commend Mattis for his efforts in rebuilding the military and pretty much how he has run the military for the last couple years.
It’s time for a change. Trump is cleaning house. Kelly may not be far behind.
It’s going to be a busy 2019.
Globalist. Bye.
If the United States REALLY needs to be militarily involved in Syria, have Congress vote a Declaration of War and then we can unleash our most powerful weapons to bring the enemy to unconditional surrender or total annihilation.
Otherwise, there is no need to send America’s fathers, sons, and husbands to Syria as more Pentagon cannonfodder.
Remember how NoName and his daughter Meghan just gushed over Mattis? They’re all globalist war-mongers.
Thank you POTUS for bringing our troops home. We need them here MORE than there.
Merry Christmas, dear troops. You’re coming home. Thank our President!
Pardon Flynn, offer it to Flynn.
It was very wrong of him to write that publicly in the national security. He must feel strongly about it but I’m not aware we abandoned any allies. Aren’t we increasing our military readiness and theirs? Hard for me to respect Merkel after the things she’s done.
Apparently is haooy with the one-way-respect international status quo
He needs to leave immediately.
POTUS should demand it.
Another closet globalist is gone.
He was supposed to be the reincarnation of Patton. Screwed over the Haditha Marines. His fan base only cared that he said cool one liners.
Bite me. Woodward is hack.
The Atlantic is a flagship publication of our Elites. And frankly, the Elites need to take a good hard look at themselves.
The primary Principle of War (in U.S. Doctrine) is that of the Objective. Can anyone explain to me the clearly defined, decisive, and attainable Objective that can now be pursued in Syria? The Assad Regime has won its civil war. We aren't going to overthrow the regime--and ISIS is punked. So, the only thing we can do is try to make sure our local allies don't get massacred.
Where have we heard that before? Somebody should have fragged this NWO globalist pos a long time ago.