User:Informant16/James Mattis's tenure as Secretary of Defense

The official portrait of James Mattis as United States Secretary of Defense.

James Mattis began serving as United States Secretary of Defense on January 20, 2017. Having been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump in December 2016, he was the first member of Trump's cabinet confirmed by the United States Senate.

Middle East

Iraq

On February 8, 2017, Mattis spoke with Iraqi Minister of Defense Arfan al-Hayali. On March 22, 2017, during questioning from the U.S. Senate, Mattis affirmed his support for U.S. troops remaining in Iraq after the Mosul conflict was resolved. Mattis responded to critics who suggested the Trump administration had loosened the rules of engagement for the U.S. military in Iraq after U.S.-led coalition airstrikes in Mosul killed civilians. He said: "We go out of our way to always do everything humanly possible to reduce the loss of life or injury among innocent people."

Mattis meets with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

Saudi Arabia

Mattis, in a January 2017 phone call with Saudi Arabia's deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, "reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.–Saudi Arabia strategic relationship". Mattis has voiced support for a Saudi Arabian–led military campaign against Yemen's Shiite rebels. He asked President Trump to remove restrictions on U.S. military support for Saudi Arabia.

Syria

On April 5, 2017, Mattis called the Khan Shaykhun chemical attack "a heinous act" and said it would be treated in that manner. On April 10, 2017, Mattis warned the Syrian government against using chemical weapons once more, saying it would be "ill-advised". The following day, Mattis gave his first Pentagon news conference since becoming Secretary of Defense, saying ISIS's defeat remained "our priority" and the Syrian government would pay a "very, very stiff price" for further usage of chemical weapons. He said that "even in World War II chemical weapons were not used on battlefields." On April 21, 2017, Mattis said Syria still had chemical weapons and was in violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions. On May 8, Mattis told reporters details of the proposed Syrian safe zones were "all in process right now" and the United States was involved with configuring. On June 28, two days after the White House warned Syria against conducting another chemical attack, Mattis told reporters, "It appears that they took the warning seriously. They didn't do it."

Egypt

On October 18, 2017, Mattis engaged in a telephone conversation with Minister of Defence of Egypt Sedki Sobhy where the two agreed on American-Egyptian relations being central to a stabilization of the Middle East and Mattis offered his condolences in the wake of the North Sinai region militant attacks that resulted in the deaths of Egyptian soldiers.

Niger

On October 19, 2017, in response to an ambush that killed four American soldiers stationed in Niger, Mattis stated the ambush had not been considered a probability of occurring and promised a rapid release of the findings of a Pentagon investigation.

East Asia

Japan

Days into his tenure, Mattis traveled to Japan, pledging that the US would remain committed to Japan's defense.

In July, Mattis spoke by telephone with Tomomi Inada over protecting Japan from North Korea aggression in light of the latter country's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.

On August 17, 2017, Mattis met with Japanese Minister of Defense Itsunori Onodera at the State Department. On August 30, Mattis spoke with Onodera by telephone over North Korea's missile launch, agreeing on condemning the launch and the importance of trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea.

Mattis engaged in a telephone call with Onodera on September 5, Pentagon chief spokesperson Dana W. White saying the discussion was centered on North Korea's nuclear device test three days prior and that Mattis had pledged American support for the enhancement of Japan's ballistic missile defense capabilities.

South Korea

On August 17, 2017, Mattis held a phone conversation with South Korean Minister of Defense Song Young-moo in which he pledged the US would defend South Korea. On August 20, Mattis said Ulchi Freedom Guardian "is an exercise to make certain that we're ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there".

On September 5, Mattis and Young-moo discussed North Korea's missile launch four days prior and the possibility of improving defense cooperation as a precaution in response to the launch.

North Korea

For his first official trip abroad, Mattis began a two-day visit with long-time U.S. ally South Korea on February 2, 2017. He warned North Korea that "any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated", and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with an "effective and overwhelming" response from the United States.

During a press conference in London on March 31, 2017, with his UK counterpart Secretary of State for Defence Michael Fallon, Mattis said North Korea was going "in a very reckless manner" and needed to be stopped.

On April 18, Mattis charged North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests as part of attempts to "provoke" other countries.

While speaking to reporters on May 19, Mattis spoke of the North Korea missile conflict: "If this goes to a military solution, it is going to be tragic on an unbelievable scale, and so our effort is to work with the U.N., work with China, work with Japan, work with South Korea to try to find a way out of this situation." During a Pentagon news conference on May 26, Mattis reported the US was working with the U.N., China, Japan, and South Korea to avoid "a military solution" with North Korea.

On June 3, Mattis said the United States regarded North Korea as "clear and present danger" during a speech at the international security conference in Singapore. In a June 12 written statement to the House Armed Services Committee, Mattis said North Korea was the "most urgent and dangerous threat to peace and security". On June 15, Mattis said the US would win a war against North Korea but the victory would be "at great cost".

While speaking to reporters on July 6, Mattis disavowed the idea that North Korea's recent ballistic missile capability would bring about war.

On August 9, Mattis cautioned North Korea to "cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and destruction of its people" during a written statement. During an August 10 dialogue with reporters in Mountain View, California, Mattis said the US effort was led by diplomacy and conflict with North Korea would be "catastrophic". While speaking to reporters on August 14, Mattis confirmed the US would retaliate in the event that North Korea successfully struck the US with a missile and would try to intercept any missiles aimed at the US or its territories. During a joint press conference with United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on August 17, Mattis stated the US "would take immediate specific actions" to down a missile in the event that North Korea fire a missile toward Japan, Guam, the US, or South Korea. On August 20, Mattis said the US's conflict with North Korea was not a factor in the reduction of American soldiers involved in a joint exercise with South Korea.

During a White House press briefing on September 15, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley stated a willingness to allow Mattis to deal with the Pyongyang nuclear threat in the event that sanctions proved insufficient. On September 18, Mattis said that while the US had not seen a reason to strike down North Korean missiles fired in Japan, a strike in the direction of the US or a Japanese territory would "elicit a different response from us." On September 26, while speaking to reporters in India, Mattis said the goal of the Trump administration in its relations with North Korea was to "solve this diplomatically".

On October 9, during his address at the Washington annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army, Mattis said given the uncertainty of future relations with North Korea, the one thing that could be done by the U.S. Army was "to be ready to ensure that we have military options that our president can employ if needed."

Russia

On February 16, 2017, during a speech in Brussels, Mattis said Russia needed to adhere to "international law" and had “interfered or attempted to interfere in a number of elections".

In a London press conference on March 31, Mattis expressed uncertainty with Russia's overall role in the activities of the Taliban: "We have seen Russian activity vis-à-vis the Taliban. I'm not going to say at this point if that has manifested into weapons and that sort of thing, but certainly what they're up to there in light of their other activities gives us concern."

On April 18, while on a plane traveling to Saudi Arabia, Mattis told reporters the Russian military was being communicated with by the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve in regard to Russia's Syrian air operations. On April 24, Mattis asserted the US would have to partner with NATO in approaching Russia in regards to its support for the Taliban while speaking in Afghan.

On May 10, Mattis characterized recent Russian missile deployment as "simply destabilizing" amid a news conference.

During a June 12 appearance before the House Armed Service Committee, Mattis said, "At this time … I do not see any indication that [Russian President Vladimir Putin] would want a positive relationship with us." On June 28, Mattis spoke at a gathering of students to commemorate the Marshall Plan on it's seventieth anniversary, Mattis charging President of Russia Vladimir Putin with "making mischief beyond Russian borders will not restore their fortunes or rekindle their hope".

In late-August, Mattis traveled to Ukraine, meeting with President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and told reporters, "Despite Russia's denials, we know they are seeking to redraw international borders by force, undermining the sovereign and free nations of Europe."

During an October 3 House Armed Services Committee testimony, when asked by Congressman Niki Tsongas about potential Russian involvement with the Taliban, Mattis said, "I need more definition on what is coming out of Russia. I can’t figure it out. It doesn’t make sense. But we’re looking at it very carefully."

South Asia

Afghanistan

On April 20, 2017, one week after the Nangarhar airstrike, Mattis told reporters that the U.S. would not conduct a damage assessment "in terms of the number of people killed" in Afghanistan. Mattis traveled to Afghanistan days later and met with government officials, Mattis explaining the purpose of the trip was allowing him to state his recommendations for the US's strategy in the country.

On June 13, Mattis said U.S. forces were "not winning" in Afghanistan and the administration would develop a new strategy by "mid-July" while speaking to the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services. The following day, Mattis released a statement pledging the Trump administration would "not repeat the mistakes of the past" by allowing Afghanistan "to once again become a launching point for attacks on our homeland or on our allies." On June 27, Mattis told reporters that he was creating a conflict-ending strategy for Afghanistan that would also "remove the danger to the Afghan people and to us and to all the nations that have been attacked by terrorist groups out of that region". On June 29, Mattis stated that the Obama administration "may have pulled our troops out too rapidly" and his intent to submit a new Afghanistan strategy to President Trump upon his return to Washington.

On July 14, Mattis reported the Defense Department was nearing the end of a review toward adopting a new strategy for Afghanistan. During a July 21 meeting with reporters, Mattis said the Trump administration was nearing a finalized Afghanistan plan, saying in part that it was "hard work so you've got to get it right, that's all there is to it and we are working to get it right."

While speaking at the Pentagon press area on August 14, Mattis said the administration was "very, very close" to an Afghanistan strategy. Speaking to reporters on August 20, Mattis confirmed President Trump had made a decision. August 22, Mattis told reporters that the number of additional troops in Afghanistan would be decided by a plan from Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford in line with the administration's South Asia strategy: "When he brings that to me, I will determine how many more we need to send in." On August 31, Mattis stated he had signed deployment orders for American troops in Afghanistan and that an investigation into which "specific ones" would be sent was ongoing.

On September 18, Mattis told reporters the US would send 3,000 soldiers to Afghanistan and most of the troops were either already within Afghanistan or notified of their deployment to the country. On September 27, the Taliban confirmed a failed rocket attack on the Hamid Karzai International Airport was intended for Mattis's plane, who arrived at and left the airport prior to the attack.

India

On January 12, 2017, prior to entering office, Mattis said the American foreign policy "should continue to pursue a long-term strategic relationship with India based in convergence of our interests and our shared democratic values" amid an appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

On February 8, Mattis held a telephone call with Defence Minister of India Manohar Parrikar, Mattis stating his intent to continue the momentum of bilateral cooperation in defense within past administrations and both issuing support for Defense Technology as well as the Trade Initiative.

On March 24, Mattis held a bilateral meeting with National Security Advisor of India Ajit Doval, afterward stating continued communications must be made between the two democratic countries.

On June 26, Mattis met with Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in Washington, Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White saying afterward, "The two pledged to continue the strong defense partnership between both nations and broaden military to military engagements."

Pakistan

On February 9, 2017, Mattis spoke by telephone with Pakistan Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In July 2017, it was announced that Mattis had chosen to withhold funding U.S. military reimbursement to Pakistan for the fiscal year of 2016, an American official saying his choice was based on his perception of Islamabad having a lack of action in addressing the Haqqani network.

On October 3, 2017, during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, Mattis stated the US would attempt seeking a resolution with Pakistan "one more time" before President Trump would take "whatever steps are necessary".

In December 2017, Mattis made his first trip to Pakistan as Defense Secretary, meeting with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Minister of Defense Khurram Dastgir Khan, Chief of Army Staff Bajwa and Director General of Inter-Services Intelligence Naveed Mukhtar. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White stated Mattis "emphasized the vital role that Pakistan can play in working with the United States and others to facilitate a peace process in Afghanistan that brings stability and security to the region" during the meetings.

Southern Europe

Portugal

On September 12, 2017, Mattis met with Portuguese Defense Minister José Alberto Azeredo Lopes at the Pentagon for discussions on Lopes' proposed Atlantic Security Center of Excellence.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

On July 20, 2017, following a closed door briefing with reporters, Mattis updated the status of the conflict between the US and ISIS: "We're winning. They're losing. How's that?"

American military

In a September 2017 letter to defense committee leaders, Mattis wrote of the negative impacts continuing resolutions have on the American military. "Long-term CRs impact the readiness of our forces and their equipment at a time when security threats are extraordinarily high. The longer the CR, the greater the consequences for our force."

During his October 9 address to the Association of the United States Army, Mattis called for communication between the military, defense industry, and American firms.

Nuclear triad

In a March 2017 hearing to the Senate Appropriation defense subcommittee, Mattis said the necessity of a nuclear deterrent "requires a triad" and said the administration was holding a Nuclear Posture Review to "determine what level a triad must be at".

While speaking to reporters ahead of arriving at Minot Air Force Base on September 13, 2017, Mattis admitted his previous questioning of the triad but that persuasion had convinced him "the triad in its framework is the right way to go."

LGBT

In July 2017, according to a New York Times report, Mattis was on vacation during President Trump's choice to ban transgendered individuals from serving in the military and those around him described the Defense Secretary as "appalled that Mr. Trump chose to unveil his decision in tweets, in part because of the message they sent to transgender active-duty service members, including those deployed overseas, that they were suddenly no longer welcome." In response to the president's announcement, forty-five senators signed a letter organized by Kirsten Gillibrand calling on Mattis to attempt convincing President Trump to reverse his decision. While speaking to reporters on August 14, Mattis said the military had not yet been provided with a guideline on transgender service members by the White House and the issue would be studied. On August 29, Mattis announced the continued service of transgender members in the military ahead of a study being concluded: "Once the panel reports its recommendations and following my consultation with the secretary of Homeland Security, I will provide my advice to the president concerning implementation of his policy direction." On September 18, Defense Department officials confirmed Mattis had issued an interim guidance on transgender members serving that would take effect until February 21 of the following year, Mattis writing in the memorandum that at that point he would present Trump with a plan for implementing the memorandum's directives.