James Mattis

Trump’s Defense Secretary Cites Climate Change As National Security Challenge

Donald Trump, left, listens as Defense Secretary James Mattis, right, speaks at the Pentagon in Washington. (AP/Susan Walsh)
Secretary of Defense James Mattis has asserted that climate change is real, and a threat to American interests abroad and the Pentagon’s assets everywhere, a position that appears at odds with the views of the president who appointed him and many in the administration in which he serves.

Centcom Chief: More US Troops Are Needed In Syria

Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel speaks to reporters Saturday, May 21, 2016 during a secret trip to Syria.
(REPORT) — Defense Secretary James Mattis hasn’t finalized his recommendations for the ISIS war, and doesn’t expect to do so until the end of the month, but Central Command chief Gen. Joseph Votel seems pretty sure that he’d like more troops to command in Syria, and that could mean a significant expansion of US ground troops in Syria.

Iraq army attacks ISIS in Mosul as US Defense Secretary Mattis flies in

The Iraqi government on Sunday 19th February 2017 launched the second stage of its campaign to liberate Mosul – Iraq’s second largest city – from ISIS.
The initial target of the offensive is Mosul’s airport.  Al-Jazeera has published a dramatic account of the early stages of the battle, which includes this evocative phrase

Contradicting Trump, Defense Secretary Says US ‘Not In Iraq To Seize Anybody’s Oil’

U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, center, is greeted by U.S. Ambassador Douglas Silliman as he arrives at Baghdad International Airport on an unannounced trip Monday, Feb. 20, 2017. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
(REPORT) — The United States is not about to plunder Iraq’s oil, US Defense Secretary James Mattis said as he arrived in Baghdad on Monday and sought to soothe partners rattled by remarks from President Donald Trump.

While Mattis & Shoigu trade rhetorical jabs, Lavrov & Tillerson exchange handshakes

Sergey Shoigu, Russia’s Minister of Defence, is not a man one wants to anger. He has held his position since 2012 and has been in charge of Russia’s biggest military operation since 1979, aiding Syria in her war against terrorism.
Unlike his US counterpart James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis, Shoigu has held multiple governmental positions prior to assuming his current position including, Governor of Moscow Oblast, leader of the currently governing party United Russia, and Minister for Emergency Situations (EMERCOM).