General Mattis Reassures Troops And Americans

General James Mattis is reverently called ‘Mad Dog’ by his troops. It is a term of endearment. I am not one of his troops and it has been said that he doesn’t really like the monicker but accepts it from his men. I will not use the nickname.

General Mattis is a war fighter. He understands warfare because he has experienced it, studied it, and studied history. He continues to read. He says the US military is second to none. That is a different image than was created by the outgoing President and Secretary of Defense. Our men and women in uniform will welcome a leader like Mattis. He trusts them and they trust him. A recent example of why is this:

“Mattis: ISIS ‘couldn’t last 2 minutes in fight with our troops’”

Defense secretary nominee Gen. Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis believes ISIS is “al-Qaida on steroids” and must be defeated in head-to-head “battles of annihilation” that leave “no survivors” on the enemy side, according to a recent discussion he participated in with a conservative think tank.

The career Marine, who faces Senate questioning at a confirmation today, also asserts that the US military “can handle Iran” in a shooting war, but cautioned that the Navy needs more warships to challenge “China’s bullying in the South China Sea.”

Mattis made the eye-opening remarks in a little-noticed interview with Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in Palo Alto, Calif., where he is a visiting fellow.”

General Mattis knows how to lead people to success. This is a good example. The question is not whether our people could win. Instead it is should they be sent to win? Mattis’ job will be to prepare our troops for conflicts and he will do a superb job. The decision to send, or not to send, them into battle will be a political one – made by the Commander in Chief.

Read the rest at Family Security Matters