SECRETARY MATTIS RESIGNS IN PROTEST TO THE PRESIDENT”S VIEWS

…Defense Secretary, James Mattis

No other Secretary has ever resigned because they considered their president’s views dangerous

If you follow what has been going on in Washington over the past two years, and you are like many, you have probably been saying “At least, the Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis is there to keep Trump under control.”

As of last week, the Defense Secretary, Jim Mattis met with the president to present this letter of resignation.  And, like former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, he’s not exactly making his concerns about President Trump a big secret.

In his resignation letter, Mattis strongly suggested that he doesn’t have much faith in Trump’s vision or leadership. And it’s not even all that veiled.  (And BTW: The resignation letter with stark comments against the president, was not released by the White House.  It was released by the Pentagon.)

It is ironic that a current Republican Senator Corker had said that, “The potential chaos in the White House is under control because Jim Mattis, John Kelly and H.R. McMaster are there to keep us from going over the edge.  

Well, as of February, these three former US Generals will all be gone.

Below is the complete resignation letter from James Mattis.  I will annotate his critical statements in italics and underlined, to demonstrate how his thinking is so different from the president:

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 the 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 U.S. 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. 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 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

You will also notice that the Secretary did not sign his resignation with the normal salutation of “Best regards”, or any other positive statement.

It is also obvious that the former US General tried to push his last date out to the end of February, so that he could represent the United States to our allies at the February NATO Defense Meeting.  Mattis will now no longer represent the US, because Trump has had the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo tell Mattis that he must leave by January 1.  In other words, as usual, Trump used someone else to fire his Sec. Defense.

The reality is that now, the Asst. Defense Secretary will represent the US at that February meeting with our allies. 

And this is a group of European allies that Trump seems to detest. 

Copyright G. Ater 2018