Donald Trump selects Mattis as Secretary of Defense

It’s official, Mad Dog Maniacs- Retired Marine Corps General James N. Mattis has been tapped as Secretary of Defense in the Trump Administration.

While the 66-year old general will need some exemptions made by Congress to allow Mattis to take the position (due to a law requiring a general to wait seven years before he can serve in such a senior defense position), it is possible -even plausible- that callsign “Chaos” will be given the green-light for the role of Defense Secretary.

Mattis is not only beloved by US servicemembers but well respected by both the Israelis and its Arab neighbors.

They respected Mattis because they saw him as a straight shooter and a good listener,” former National Security Council staff member Stephen Simon said of the Israelis and Arabs.

Affectionately called the “Warrior Monk,” Mattis is well known for his command presence, intellect and dedication to his tasks at hand.

“The president-elect is smart to think about putting someone as respected as Jim Mattis in this role,” said a former senior Pentagon official. “He’s a warrior, scholar and straight shooter- literally and figuratively. He speaks truth to everyone and would certainly speak truth to this new commander in chief.”

The official also mentioned that while Mattis is a general, he will take his civilian role seriously- even if it means potentially butting heads with his co-workers from time to time.

“If there’s any concern at all, it’s the principle of civilian control over the military,” the official said on the condition of anonymity. “This role was never intended to be a kind of Joint Chiefs of Staff on steroids, and that’s the biggest single risk tied to Mattis. For Mattis, the biggest risk for him personally is that he will have a national security adviser in the form of Mike Flynn whose management style and extreme views may arch Mattis’s eyebrows and cause conflict over time. It’s no fun to be secretary of defense if you have to constantly feud with the White House.”

Sources close to the Trump transition team say the official announcement will likely surface early next week.

The news has not been officially announced by President-elect Trump but was reported by Washington Post.  Earlier this afternoon, Jason Miller, Trump’s transition team communication director tweeted “No decision has been made yet with regard to Secretary of Defense.”

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