By JEFF SCHOGOL
Defense Secretary James Mattis has resigned amid President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria and media reports the president is considering a massive drawdown in Afghanistan as well.
His last day leading the Defense Department will be on Feb. 28.
Here is his Dec. 20 resignation letter:
Dear Mr. President,
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 U.S. 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 have 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
Why Mattis Is Leaving The Pentagon, In 3 Sentences
By PAUL SZOLDRA
There are only three sentences in Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ resignation letter you need to read in order to understand why he’s stepping down.
While we know through plenty of White House/Pentagon palace intrigue stories that the relationship between Mattis and President Donald Trump has waned in recent months, Mattis’ letter makes it abundantly clear that he fundamentally disagrees with the president on the path forward.
“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,” Mattis wrote.
“Because you have the right to have 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.”
Put another way, Mattis is contrasting Trump’s views with his own: The president doesn’t respect allies nor is he clear-eyed about who are enemies are (looking at you, Russia). Trump also doesn’t care much about the international order built after World War II that helps keep the world fairly secure.
Mattis’ resignation comes a day after Trump decided to pull U.S. troops from Syria, apparently without much input from DoD. Trump is also mulling whether to pull a substantial number of American troops from Afghanistan within the next several weeks, according to a new report in The Wall Street Journal.
Defense Secretary Mattis Is Out
By JARED KELLER and PAUL SZOLDRA
President Donald Trump said Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is retiring “with distinction” at the end of February 2019, according to a tweet on Thursday.
“During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting equipment,” Trump said. “General Mattis was a great help to me in getting allies and other countries to pay their share of military obligations. A new Secretary of Defense will be named shortly. I greatly thank Jim for his service.”
General Jim Mattis will be retiring, with distinction, at the end of February, after having served my Administration as Secretary of Defense for the past two years. During Jim’s tenure, tremendous progress has been made, especially with respect to the purchase of new fighting....
Rumors of Mattis’ departure have swirled for months after passages in a new book Fear from investigative journalist Bob Woodward, published in September, depicted the defense secretary as describing Trump as having the understanding of a “fifth- or sixth-grader.”
At the time, Trump had previously publicly supported Mattis, stating that he believed the quotes in Woodward’s book were fabrications.
“I asked him whether or not this was true,” Trump said as he met with Republican lawmakers. “He said: ‘Not only is it not true; I’d like to write a statement.’ I said: ‘Thank you very much. That’s very nice.’ He wrote the most beautiful statement. I think he’s a terrific person. He’s doing a fantastic job as secretary of defense.”
Despite Trump’s assurances that his job was secure, Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin reported on Sept. 5 that the White House had already considering replacing Mattis within the next few months. Retired Army Gen. Jack Keane is considered a top contender.
On the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, Task & Purpose asked Mattis what his relationship was like with the president.
“No problem,” Mattis replied. “It’s been the same all along.”
But when T&P asked him if he intended to serve as defense secretary for the rest of President Trump’s time in office, Mattis demurred, “This is not a day I’m going to go further into politics.”
During his travels abroad, which included a “2+2” meeting in India alongside Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a surprise visit to Afghanistan, Mattis appeared unflustered despite the political tensions at home.
“Mattis looked weary – he only sleeps a few hours per night – but he showed no outward signs of being under more stress than usual,” as T&P’s Jeff Schogol, embedded with Mattis during the trip, described the defense secretary. “Like the football player on the Heisman Trophy, Mattis stiff-arms gossip about D.C. power struggles and knife fights so he can get real work done.”
“To call him ‘stoic’ would be an understatement,” he added. “No matter how tumultuous the world gets, he rarely betrays his emotions.”
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