James Mattis, the hawk and fierce critic of Putin, will become the US Secretary of Defense. Donald Trump's anti-Russian administration Mad Dog general

If someone thought that after winning Trump would recruit a team of like-minded people and begin to implement a revolution in US foreign policy, then he simply does not know American realities. Appointing an entourage of an elected king is an extremely complex and multifaceted process, and the king cannot afford to give key posts only to whoever he wants (like National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and Attorney General Jeff Sessions). Sometimes it is necessary to appoint those who need it to responsible positions.

First, the favorites of the party establishment, so that the same Republicans do not sabotage Trump's policies in Congress. It is no coincidence that the process of appointing the secretary of state has been so delayed - the establishment is moving its man, Mitt Romney, to this position, and the Trump team, and the elected president himself (whose campaign Romney openly sabotaged) oppose. Secondly, the administration should always include people with different views and approaches to solving existing problems. Discussions in the administration (if they do not spill out, of course) positively influence the decision-making process, as they illuminate all facets of the problem and allow the president to hear different points of view before choosing the right option. General Mattis, whom Trump wants to appoint to the position of Secretary of Defense, is in line with the principle of nominating “whoever”. He enjoys great prestige of the Republican establishment and is ready to oppose the president.

In general, it is difficult not to be a reputable military man with such a track record as a general. General Mattis served 40 years in the Marine Corps, devoting his entire life to the Corps, including his personal one (he never got a family). The general worked on the ground - he commanded the Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq - and at headquarters (holding positions of responsibility in NATO and the Pentagon). Among his subordinates, he received the nickname "Mad Dog" for his politically incorrect statements. For example, he opposed the release of Guantanamo prisoners, arguing that "if you are captured, you must remain there until the end of the war."

Scientist Warrior

Nevertheless, James Mattis' military views are highly regarded (not only in regards to a return to the rejection of transgender and openly gay men, but also in military strategy), and the general is highly respected in the Department of Defense. After all, the Mad Dog knows how not only to kill (“shooting at people is so fun,” he once said) but also to think. Thus, the general is in favor of maintaining the Iranian nuclear deal. Yes, he claims that this deal only slowed down the implementation of Iranian nuclear ambitions, and did not eliminate them, but he is inclined to believe that "without a clear current violation of the deal" by Iran, the Americans should not denounce it unilaterally. Simply because, in his opinion, in this situation, the allies are unlikely to support new sanctions against the Islamic Republic, and without allies, these sanctions will not have much impact on the situation.

“He is a warrior, a scientist and shoots straight at the target - both figuratively and literally. He tells the truth to everyone and will not dissemble to his new commander in chief, ”writes The Washington Post. Conservative politicians are of the same opinion. "General Mattis will be an excellent leader for the Department of Defense, and President-elect Trump will find his advice invaluable," said Senator Lindsay Graham, who has little love for Trump.

Even the liberal media, predicting America's Trumpocalypse, are pleased with the potential defense secretary. "General Mattis could become a voice of reason in the White House, which has come under the dangerous control of an ignorant president with little interest in alternative viewpoints," writes The New York Times editorial.

For all of them, Mattis is the personification of "traditional America" \u200b\u200band an important stopper of Trump's "insane neo-isolationist" plans. So, Mattis advocates the preservation of American "leadership" in the world. “The international order requires America to watch over it. America, which wisely leads the rest, strongly stands for the freedoms that we, sitting in this room, share, ”- said the general during one of his hearings in Congress.

General doesn't belong here

There are, of course, those who are dissatisfied. In the United States, there is a tradition according to which the head of the Pentagon should be a civilian. Since the Second World War, only once has a General headed the Department of Defense - George Marshall in 1950-1951. And for this he received special permission from Congress (according to the law, a retired officer can lead the Pentagon only 7 years after leaving service). James Mattis, who only retired in 2013, also needs such permission, and some Senate members have already spoken out against. Among them, in particular, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (leader of the Democratic group of senators on the staff subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services Committee). “I have great respect for General Mattis's merits, but I do not support his appointment. Civilian control of the military is a core principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule, ”she said.

However, with a high degree of probability, we can say that "Mad Dog" will still head the Pentagon. The US hopes that one of his favorite phrases - "You are part of the forces most feared and most trusted in the world, so turn on your brains before taking up arms" will become the leitmotif of the American military during the Trump administration.

On Saturday, Donald Trump held meetings at a fashionable golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey with potential candidates for high positions in his future administration. Among them were Mitt Romney, the 2012 presidential candidate from the US Republican Party, who is known for his anti-Russian stance and is currently being considered for the post of secretary of state, and the contender for the post of head of the Pentagon, General James Mattis.

- General James Mattis, aka Mad Dog, who is being considered for the post of Secretary of Defense, made a very strong impression yesterday, - Trump tweeted on Sunday. - A real general of generals!

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Donald J. Trump ✔ @realDonaldTrump
General James "Mad Dog" Mattis, who is being considered for Secretary of Defense, was very impressive yesterday. A true General "s General!
15:39 - November 20, 2016
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Despite the barracks humor and not too impressive appearance (Mattis is short, thin, speaks in an expressionless voice, lisps a little), the general is one of the brightest intellectuals of the American military machine. After studying at the School of the Marines, the Marine Corps Command College, and the National War College, Mattis attended Central Washington University, graduating with a BA in History. During these years, according to the recollections of classmates, he did not part with the volume of "Reflections" of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. Mattis never had a TV, but he collected a 7,000-volume library of martial arts from Comanches to samurai.

It is no coincidence that Mattis' military career impressed Trump: having given 41 years of his life to the US Marines, he participated in all major campaigns in the Middle East, starting with the 1991 Gulf War (where he commanded the 1st battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel) ... During Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001, Mattis - already a brigadier general - commanded Task Force 58, his Marines tracking Osama bin Laden in the underground tunnels of Tora Bora (albeit unsuccessfully).

During the second war in Iraq, Mattis, already in the rank of major general, commanded the 1st Marine Division, which under his leadership covered 808 kilometers inland in 17 days of continuous fighting, which became the deepest penetrating land operation in the history of the Marine Corps. It was at this time that he chooses the call sign Chaos.

“Be polite, be professional, but be prepared to kill everyone you meet,” General Mattis admonished the Marines in 2003, before the invasion of Iraq.

It was he who led the first and unsuccessful assault on Fallujah, and then authorized the strike on the village of Mukaradib (May 19, 2004), where the wedding took place the day before. At three o'clock in the morning, American air bombs fell on the village, and then Mattis's Marines entered.

“We ran out of the house and American soldiers started shooting at us. Lying on the ground, they killed us with targeted shots one after another, - one of the surviving residents later told The Guardian.

As a result, more than 40 people were killed, including 13 children. In justification of his actions, Mattis said: "How many people do you think came to the heart of the desert for a wedding? There were more than two dozen strong men fit for military service. Let's not be naive!" He also stated that he was not going to apologize for the actions of his subordinates.

- In Afghanistan, you will see that there are guys who give slaps to women for not wearing a veil. You know, there is nothing masculine in these guys anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them, ”he admonished in February 2005 in San Diego Marines heading to fight the Taliban. - Fighting is a huge thrill. You know, it's pretty damn great. It's funny to shoot some people. I'll be honest with you - I love to fight.

Photo: marines.mi
Photo: marines.mi

The young Marines liked the general's statement, but the Pentagon bureaucrats found it too intolerant: Mattis was reprimanded. However, this did not affect his career: from August 2010 to March 2013, Mattis headed the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of all US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. From this post, he resigned.

Such a person made a "very strong impression" on US President-elect Donald Trump and has a good chance of heading the Pentagon (although the law prohibits a person who has retired from active military service in an officer's rank for seven years after being fired, and Mattis goes in retirees less than four years).

If this appointment does take place, it will be possible to say that in the person of James Mattis, the American military department can get the most competent leader in recent decades, and Russia - the most dangerous enemy.

On May 13, 2015, he gave a lecture on the international situation within the walls of the renowned neo-conservative think tank of the Heritage Foundation.

“If we look at the situation with Russia, then I think this situation is much more severe and much more serious than we imagine it,” said Mattis. - And the problem is not in Putin, as many believe. We have a problem not with Putin, we have a problem with Russia.

As it follows from the words of Mattis, this is a complex problem: Russia has an extremely unfavorable strategic position (the longest border in the world, vulnerable to external aggression), there is bad demography, Russians do not feel any positive feelings from their democratic neighbors and are afraid of NATO expansion ... The ill-conceived EU policy to wrest Ukraine out of the Russian sphere of influence has provoked the most dangerous crisis in the region. And the most unpleasant thing, the general added, is that neither Washington nor Brussels (that is, the NATO command) have any clear strategy towards Russia. Whether Mattis, as head of the Pentagon, will be able to develop such a strategy for Trump, time will tell.

It seems that Mattis's appointment should counterbalance "pro-Russian" national security adviser Michael Flynn in the eyes of anti-Russian Republican politicians. Where the scales ultimately tilt will largely depend on who takes the key position of the Secretary of State. Until recently, the main candidates for this post were former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton and Senator Bob Corker from Tennessee.

But recently, the candidacy of former Massachusetts governor and Obama's rival in the 2012 election, Mitt Romney, surfaced unexpectedly. It is known that during the 2016 election campaign, Trump and Romney exchanged harsh attacks that bordered on insults (Romney called Trump a "swindler" and a "swindler", and he responded by saying that "one of the worst candidates from the Republican party" "yapped, like a dog").

Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer "s Mate 3rd Class Joe Dye
Photo: U.S. Navy photo by Photographer "s Mate 3rd Class Joe Dye

However, on Saturday, Romney visited Trump in Bedminster, where they had a conversation regarding "different regions of the world" (in Romney's words). Trump's Vice President Mike Pence then confirmed that Romney's candidacy was "very seriously" being considered for the post of secretary of state.

If Trump decides to opt for Mitt Romney, then in conjunction with superhawk Mattis as head of the Pentagon, he will form perhaps the most anti-Russian administration since George W. Bush (Romney is known for calling Russia the number one enemy of the United States ).

Jeff Sessions, now being considered for the post of Attorney General, until recently, was extremely critical of our country and even stated that the United States should make Russia "pay a high price" for its "aggressive behavior." However, after Sessions joined Trump's team, he adjusted his point of view.

“This whole problem with Russia is a real disaster for America, for Russia and for the whole world,” he told CNN on July 31. - Donald Trump is right. We must find a way out of this vicious circle of enmity that puts our countries at risk, costs us billions of dollars in defense and breeds hatred.

And the contender for the post of head of the CIA, Mike Pompeo, who is known not only for his negative assessment of the activities of the Muslim leaders of the States, but also for the fact that after a visit to Kiev in April 2014, he argued that the goal of Putin's long-term strategy is to "take Ukraine under control", and called for "to show support for the Ukrainian government - to the extent that we can do so - to change Putin's plans."

On the other hand, the disadvantages of the appointment of the same Romney to the post of Secretary of State are obvious to too many - and the point here is not at all about the attitude of this or that politician towards Russia, but that Romney too openly attacked Trump during the election campaign, and now his appointment to such an important post can be regarded as the weakness of the president-elect. In addition, as former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee rightly told Fox News, appointing Romney to any position in the new administration would be "an insult to Trump's voters."

On Saturday Donald Trump held in a fashionable golf club in Bedminster (New Jersey) meetings with likely candidates for high positions in their future administration.

Among them was a neocon Mitt Romney - presidential candidate in the 2012 elections from the US Republican Party, who is known for his anti-Russian stance and is now being considered for the post of secretary of state, and a candidate for the post of head of the Pentagon, General James Mattis.

- General James Mattis, aka Mad Dog, who is being considered for the post of Secretary of Defense, made a very strong impression yesterday, - Trump tweeted on Sunday. - A real general of generals!

General Mattis is one of the brightest intellectuals in the American war machine. After studying at the School of the Marines, the Marine Corps Command College, and the National War College, Mattis attended Central Washington University, graduating with a BA in History. During these years, according to the recollections of classmates, he did not part with the volume of "Reflections" of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius... Mattis never had a TV, but collected a library of 7000 volumes dedicated to the art of war of different peoples - from Comanches to samurai.

It is no coincidence that Mattis' military career impressed Trump: having given 41 years of his life to the US Marines, he participated in all major campaigns in the Middle East, starting with the 1991 Gulf War (where he commanded the 1st battalion of the 7th Marine Regiment with the rank of lieutenant colonel) ... During Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan in 2001, Mattis - already a brigadier general - commanded Task Force 58, his Marines tracked down Osama bin Laden in the underground tunnels of Tora Bora.

During the second war in Iraq, Mattis, already in the rank of major general, commanded the 1st Marine Division, which under his leadership overcame 808 kilometers inland in 17 days of continuous fighting, which became the deepest penetrating land operation in the history of the Marine Corps... It was at this time that he chooses the call sign "Chaos".

“Be polite, be professional, but be prepared to kill everyone you meet,” General Mattis admonished the Marines in 2003, before the invasion of Iraq.

It was he who led the first and unsuccessful assault on Fallujah, and then authorized the attack on the village of Mukaradib (May 19, 2004), where the wedding took place the day before. At three o'clock in the morning, the village was bombarded by American aircraft, and then Mattis's Marines entered.

“We ran out of the house and American soldiers started shooting at us. Lying on the ground, they killed us with aimed shots one after another, - one of the surviving residents later told The Guardian.

As a result, more than 40 people were killed, including 13 children. To justify his actions, Mattis stated:

“How many people do you think came to the very heart of the desert supposedly for a wedding? There were over two dozen strong men fit for military service. Let's not be naive! "

He also stated that he was not going to apologize for the actions of his subordinates.

- In Afghanistan, you will see that there are guys who give slaps to women for not wearing a veil. You know, in such guys there is nothing masculine anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun shooting them, ”he admonished Marines in San Diego in February 2005 on their way to fight the Taliban.
- Fighting is a huge thrill. You know, it's pretty damn great. It's funny to shoot some people. I'll be honest with you - I love to fight.

The young Marines liked the general's statement, but the Pentagon bureaucrats found it too intolerant: Mattis was reprimanded. However, this did not affect his career: from August 2010 to March 2013, Mattis headed the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), which is in charge of all US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. From this post, he resigned.

Such a person made a "very strong impression" on US President-elect Donald Trump and has a good chance of heading the Pentagon (although the law prohibits a person who has retired from active military service in the officer rank for seven years after being fired, and Mattis goes in retirees less than four years).

If this appointment does take place, it will be possible to say that in the person of James Mattis, the American military department can get the most competent leader in recent decades, and Russia - the most dangerous enemy.

On May 13, 2015, he gave a lecture on the international situation within the walls of the famous the neoconservative think tank of the Heritage Foundation (Heritage Foundation).

“If we look at the situation with Russia, then I think this situation is much more severe and much more serious than we imagine it,” said Mattis. - And the problem is not in Putin, as many believe. We have a problem not with Putin, we have a problem with Russia.

As it follows from the words of Mattis, this is a complex problem: Russia has an extremely unfavorable strategic position (the longest border in the world, vulnerable to external aggression), there is bad demography, Russians do not feel any positive feelings from their democratic neighbors and are afraid of NATO expansion ... The ill-conceived EU policy to wrest Ukraine out of the Russian sphere of influence has provoked the most dangerous crisis in the region. And the most unpleasant thing, the general added, is that neither Washington nor Brussels (that is, the NATO command) have any clear strategy towards Russia. Obviously, Mattis, as head of the Pentagon, will be able to develop such a strategy for Trump.

It will largely depend on who takes the key position of the Secretary of State. Until recently, the main candidates for this position were the former US ambassador to the UN, the neocon hawk. John Bolton and Republican Senator from Tennessee Bob Corker.

John Bolton, a Bush-era radical, believes Putin has his eyes on Eastern Europe and the Middle East because of the weakness of Obama's policies. In this regard, Bolton proposed to create "protective structures against Putin in Europe."

Bob Corker, in turn, head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, in an interview with the Voice of America accused Putin of corruption and predicted destabilization of Russia ...

But recently, another candidacy surfaced unexpectedly - the former governor of Massachusetts, a rival Barack Obama in the 2012 election neocon Mitta Romney... Romney is known for calling Putin "and a threat to stability and peace in the world" and Russia as "enemy number one" for the United States.

On Saturday, Romney visited Trump in Bedminster, where they had a conversation about “different regions of the world” (in Romney's words). After that Vice President Trump Mike Pence confirmed that Romney's candidacy is "very seriously" being considered for the post of secretary of state.

If Trump still opts for Mitt Romney, then in conjunction with the super-hawk Mattis as head of the Pentagon about will form the most anti-Russian administration since George W. Bush.

Currently considered for the post of attorney general Jeff Sessions until recently he was extremely critical of Russia and even stated that US must make Russia "pay a high price" for its "aggressive behavior".

And a contender for the post of head of the CIA Mike Pompeo, who is known not only for his negative assessment of the activities of the Muslim leaders of the States, but also for the fact that after a visit to Kiev in April 2014, he argued that the goal of Putin's long-term strategy is "to take Ukraine under control", and called for "to demonstrate support to the Ukrainian government - until to the extent that we can do it - to change Putin's plans. " During the campaign for the election of the Ukrainian president, the future head of the CIA called Petro Poroshenko "Best candidate".

“Alas, President Obama has once again ... done almost nothing to support the Ukrainian people,” Pompeo said with regret.

Recently, Pompeo also frankly ranked Russia as an adversary of the United States.

“Today we all live in a world where we see villains like the People's Liberation Army of China, Iranians, Russians who have computer programs to steal emails,” he said, commenting on the email hack. Hillary Clinton.

Earlier, he made a number of statements demonstrating rejection of Russian policy in the world. In his opinion, Moscow's goal in Syria is to increase influence in the Middle East, and not to fight IS, therefore, he believes, US must counter Russia's expansion in the region.

Donald Trump is also considering a candidacy for the post of Secretary of State or Ambassador to the UN - Republican and former mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani... He, in turn, said on the air of CNN:

“Donald Trump will have an affair with Russian President Vladimir Putin, representing the country, which does not reduce its armed forces, but builds them up to the level of the Reagan army».

According to the ex-mayor of New York, the future head of the White House intends to increase the military potential of the United States in order to be able to negotiate with the Russian leader from a position of strength.

Meanwhile, the radio host Laura Ingram confirmed that she could become the press secretary of the White House in the administration of future US President Donald Trump. In July 2016, Ingram finished his speech at the GOP convention nazi salutethus making a lot of noise.

Candidates for the position of Treasury Secretary - Stephen Mnuchin - banker, ex-head of one of the largest investment companies "Goldman Sachs" and the main "financier" of Trump's election campaign.

National Intelligence May Lead Francis Townsend - former internal security adviser of the times J. Bush.

In turn, the Chairman of the Federation Council Commission on Information Policy Alexey Pushkov started talking about the fact that the newly-elected head of the United States under such an administration would be "dissuaded" from cooperating with the Kremlin.

On December 2, 2016, Donald Trump firmly confirmed the message, which sounded earlier in the American publications, about the appointment of an ardent enemy of Russia, retired Marine Corps General James Mattis, as the country's defense minister.

The future head of the Pentagon is 66 years old. Mattis has been active in campaigns in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. His last duty station was the US Central Command, which is responsible for the Middle East and Central Asia. He held this post in 2010-2013.

James served in the US military for 44 years. Among the American military, he has the status of a living legend. According to a May 2016 poll by The Military Times, more than half of American military personnel wanted Mattis to take part in the US presidential campaign.

Mattis, nicknamed "Reservoir Dog" for admitting that he loves to fight, was a brilliant commanding officer of the Marine Corps during the wars in the East.

From Mattis' letters to the Marines:

“Use your brain before using a weapon”;

“No war is over until the enemy himself declares it. We can consider that the war is over, we can even declare about it, but in fact, our enemy has the right to vote in this matter ”;

“I came in peace. I am without artillery. And I urge you, with tears in my eyes: If you catch me, I will kill you all to one ”;

“In Afghanistan, we are confronted by guys who beat women for 5 years for not wearing a veil. You know, these guys obviously have no courage left. So shooting them is pretty damn fun. Frankly, they are fun to fight. It's fun to shoot these people. And I will be by your side. I like to fight. "

Mattis's second nickname is "Warrior Monk". James has no family or children, a convinced ascetic who devoted his life to the army, books and protecting the interests of his subordinates. Likes to personally participate in battles, inspiring fighters with his example. Designed the majority of US Marines' successful operations. Author of "The Mattis Doctrine". "He (Mattis) is known as one of the most influential military leaders of his generation, serving as a strategic thinker and sometimes rebuked for his aggressive language," writes The Washington Post.

The Washington Post reports that Mattis is highly respected at the Pentagon: "He is a warrior, a scientist and a very outspoken man ... he tells everyone the truth and will definitely tell the truth to the new Supreme Commander," said a senior Defense official.

Mattis mercilessly criticized Obama for the lack of military support for his allies, claimed that America suffers from "strategic atrophy" and called Russia "the aggressor who occupied Ukraine in Crimea and Donbas." He also pointed out that the purpose of Putin's actions is to split NATO.

“I consider Russia's actions in Ukraine a most dangerous situation with a crisis potential for the entire region ... There is a war in Crimea and Ukraine ... In my opinion, the problem is not so much in Putin, but in Russia in general. They say that as soon as Putin leaves, Russia will get better. I think these are dreams, "- said Mattis in May 2015 during a speech at The Heritage Foundation (the Heritage Foundation is a US strategic research institute that deals with a wide range of research on international politics - auth.)" Russia does not consider the neighborhood with democratic countries positive. She wants to guarantee safety for herself, sowing instability around "- said Mattis, constantly showing excessive belligerence and obvious Russophobia.

And Donald Trump, after meeting with the ex-general in New Jersey, said that Mattis is "great" - "that's what you need", adding that Mattis is "a wonderful person who made a brilliant career."

According to current regulations, the US Secretary of Defense cannot be a person who retired from active military service less than seven years ago. Mattis completed his military career in 2013.

Ministerial candidates must be approved by the Senate. However, in Mattis's case, additional approval from the Upper House of Congress is required. This problem is not expected, since both the Senate and the House of Representatives of Congress, following the results of the November 8 general elections in the United States, remained under the control of the Republican Party, of which Trump is a member.

I remember that the deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation greeted the news of Donald Trump's victory in the presidential elections in the United States with a thunderous ovation, and political scientists and experts greeted this news with extraordinary jubilation.

Vladimir Zhirinovsky proclaimed at a banquet specially arranged then on the occasion of Trump's winning in the Russian parliament a toast "to the new domestic and foreign policy of the United States and the improvement of relations with Russia."

However, it seems that Vladimir Volfovich rejoiced early ...

Valery Filimonov, Russian writer

The head of the Pentagon in the new American administration will be retired Marine General James Mattis, who previously led the US Central Command. On Thursday, the Washington Post reported this, citing sources close to US President-elect Donald Trump, and later he himself confirmed the information, speaking at a meeting with supporters in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"We will nominate Mad Dog Mattis as our Secretary of Defense," Trump said and joked about the leak: "But we won't officially announce this until Monday, so don't tell anyone."

Mattis will become the 26th US Secretary of Defense (this department in America was created only after World War II in 1947, and before a single military command over different types of troops did not exist). The 66-year-old general will be confirmed after Trump's inauguration, scheduled for January 20, 2017.

The primary task of the new head of the Pentagon will be the US campaign against ISIS (the Arabic name for the extremist IS group banned in Russia), which Trump called his national security priority. The United States and the international coalition it has created are fighting terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Recall that the current head of the Pentagon Ashton Carter opposed cooperation with Russia in the fight against ISIS in Syria. Trump, on the other hand, said during the election campaign that "it would be great if the United States got along with Russia and together defeated ISIS." It is not yet clear what advice Mattis will give to President-elect Mattis regarding cooperation with the Russian Federation against the militants.

Known by the nicknames "Mad Dog" and "Chaos", the general served in the military for 44 years and is considered one of the most experienced military commanders in the United States. He led military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in 2010-2013 headed the US Central Command, which is responsible for operations in the hottest regions of the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia. The general is the author of many shocking statements, passionate about military service. He willingly visited the soldiers on the front line, was called out to be on duty for the holidays. Has many awards.
Another nickname for Mattis is "Warrior Monk". The general is known for his passion for reading and, when moving to a new duty station, he always takes an impressive library with him. He forced his subordinates to take courses in Arabic culture before sending them to Iraq. He has never been married and has no children.

Mattis has been critical of Russia, arguing that its mission is to "break NATO apart." The general did not agree with Trump's campaign statements that NATO was outdated and that the members of the alliance did not pay fairly. "Some of the allies have more troops per capita in Afghanistan than we do, while others spend up to 20 percent of the budget on defense," he commented. As head of the Central Committee, he fiercely argued with those around President Barack Obama, especially over the policy towards Iran, which Mattis called "the most powerful threat to stability and peace in the Middle East." Recall that Trump also criticized the deal on Iran's nuclear program and even threatened to abandon it. In a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing last year, Mattis suggested that the US nuclear triad could be reduced to a dyad by ditching land-based nuclear arsenals. Trump is a supporter of modernizing US nuclear arsenals.

During the election campaign, Trump made it clear that he could bring back the practice of torturing terror suspects. However, after meeting with Mattis, the president-elect said that the general surprised him with his critical attitude to the idea. "I never found it useful. Give me a pack of cigarettes, a couple of beers and I will achieve better results than torture," Trump quoted Mattis as saying, adding that he was "very impressed with that response."

At the same time, Mattis's appointment violates one of the foundational American political traditions. In the United States, the Pentagon is usually headed by civilians, which is designed to ensure civilian control over the armed forces and to limit their influence on domestic politics. Former military personnel are allowed to hold the post of defense minister no earlier than seven years after leaving the service. Therefore, Mattis first needs to get special permission from Congress. According to the Politico newspaper, the first and last time such an exception was made was in 1950.

Nonetheless, the appointment as a whole has elicited a sigh of relief in the American political establishment, which is apprehensively observing the personnel decisions of the unpredictable Trump. Mattis is an experienced, well-known and respected general in Washington. Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain welcomed the news of his appointment. It is in this committee that hearings will be held to confirm the candidacy for the post of head of the Pentagon. “Mattis is one of the finest military officers of his generation and a great leader with a rare and special admiration among the military,” McCain said.

The Secretary of Defense is the only US official besides the President with the authority to order the start of hostilities. In addition, although the decision to launch a nuclear strike is made only by the President, the procedure requires confirmation from the Minister of Defense.

The most famous sayings of "Mad Dog"

Mattis is known for his sharp and outrageous statements, which are jokingly called "matricisms". Here are the most famous of them.

“Be polite, be professional, but you have to have a plan to kill anyone you meet,” Mattis said, instructing his subordinates in Iraq to be vigilant, adding that “there is only one way for terrorists to retire.”

“You get to Afghanistan, you see guys who beat women in the face for five years in a row for not wearing a veil. You know, these guys still have nothing left of their masculinity, so shooting them is fucking fun. it's fun to shoot some people. "

"When you kill someone for the first time, this is a noticeable event. Nevertheless, there are such" bad guys "in the world (in the original the general used a stronger curse word here - approx." RG ") who just need to be shot."

"For some people, you have to hate to kill. I don't think so. It's just work."

"Use your brains before you use your weapons."

"I don't feel stress. I create it."