“MAD DOG” HAS HIS DAY: The legendary Marine Gen. James Mattis known both for his strategic acumen and his plain-spoken aphorisms has emerged as the leading candidate to take the reins of the Pentagon as the 26th defense secretary. President-elect Trump met with the retired general over the weekend, and pronounced him “the real deal.” In a tweet, Trump confirmed Mattis is being considered for defense secretary, calling him “very impressive,” and a “true General’s General.” Trump appears undeterred by the federal law requiring the Pentagon chief be selected from “civilian life,” and be out of uniform for at least seven years. Mattis, known as Mad Dog to his troops, had a reputation as an inspirational leader when he retired as U.S. Central Command chief in 2013. The federal statute is intended to undergird the bedrock American principle of civilian control of the military. Presumably the president-elect is being advised that with Republicans in control of the Senate, a waiver of the provision would not be a problem.
Everyone seems to have a favorite Mattis quote. In a letter to the 1st Marine Division he was about to lead into Iraq in 2003, Mattis famously wrote, “Demonstrate to the world there is ‘No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy’ than a U.S. Marine.” Some of his notable quotes are more like quips, with an underlying truth behind the humor. One example: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.” The Washington Free Beacon collected 16 of his best one-liners on the occasion of his retirement in March of 2013.
NPR reported yesterday that retired Gen. Jack Keane had been offered the job and declined for personal reasons, but said Mattis and retired Gen. David Petraeus would be good picks.
BASKET OF DESIRABLES: Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry is on the list to meet with Trump today. Over the weekend a parade of notables made the trek to the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Among those consulting, advising, and perhaps interviewing yesterday were New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. On Saturday, Mitt Romney was the headliner, and the talks with the former Massachusetts governor Romney, who is thought to be under consideration for secretary of state, were described as “substantive and in-depth.” The last meeting of the day Sunday went to retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, former head of U.S. Southern Command. Trump kept his cards close to the vest, saying only he “made a couple of deals’’ over the course of the weekend. ‘‘I think we have some really incredible people going to be working for the country,’’ Trump said last night. ‘‘We really had some incredible meetings. You’ll be hearing about them soon.’’
TORTURE IS STILL ILLEGAL: One law Trump may not be able to get around easily is the prohibition on torture, including waterboarding, that was passed by Congress last year. On CBS’s Face The Nation, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Trump’s views on bringing back waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques has not changed. “I think the president-elect made his views on that quite clear during the course of the campaign,” Pence said. “But, as we go forward, what I can tell you is, it’s not going to be about a specific tactic.” The idea of using waterboarding to elicit critical information from America’s enemies has also been endorsed by Trump’s pick for CIA director, Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo, but Sen. John McCain, chairman of the armed services committee, who was tortured for more than five years as a POW in Vietnam, vowed to prevent any change in the 2015 law. “I don’t give a damn what the president of the United States wants to do or anybody else wants to do. We will not waterboard. We will not torture,” McCain said over the weekend. “My God, what does it say about America if we’re going to inflict torture on people?” The amendment to the FY 2016 National Defense Authorization Act limited interrogation techniques to those in the Army Field Manual, which does not include waterboarding.
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BIG NSA SHAKEUP? House Armed Services Committee chairman Mac Thornberry expressed concern about reports that the Obama administration is looking to change the leadership and function of the National Security Agency in the Obama administration’s final days. Thornberry made the statement after the Washington Post reported on Saturday that Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper recommended that President Obama remove the head of the NSA. The Post claims the recommendation was made last month but has been delayed because firing Rogers would complicate the nation’s desire to create separate chains of command regarding the NSA and military’s cyberwarfare units. The Post also alleged Obama officials are unhappy because of two post-Snowden security breaches.
HAPPENING TODAY: The campaigns to liberate Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria continue to make slow but significant progress. An update is coming today from Air Force Col. John Dorrian, the chief U.S. spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve, who will brief Pentagon reporters from Baghdad at 11 a.m. Six weeks into the Iraqi offensive, Reuters reports that Shiite militias are poised to cut remaining supply routes to Mosul, which would further isolate the Islamic State fighters who are staging a last stand in the city center.
THE TEAMS HAVE LANDED: Trump’s transition staff revealed on Friday the people who will comprise the four “landing teams” that have begun to facilitate changes at key federal agencies, Sarah Westwood writes. Those teams, which have respectively “landed” at the State Department, Justice Department, Pentagon and National Security Council, are made up mostly of area experts. Pence told reporters inside Trump Tower that the teams arrived in Washington Friday morning. See all the names here.
Defense News went through the list and reports that among the names for the Pentagon team, the defense industry is well-represented.
FLYNN’S CONFLICTS: The ranking member on the House Oversight Committee wants to know more about potential conflicts of interests concerning Trump’s choice for national security adviser, Kyle Feldscher writes. Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn was named to the White House post Friday, but Rep. Elijah Cummings says Flynn’s consulting firm has been working on behalf of foreign interests to lobby the U.S. government at the same time the former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency was receiving classified briefings.
“Recent news reports have revealed that Lt. Gen. Flynn was receiving classified briefings during the presidential campaign while his consulting firm, Flynn Intel Group, Inc., was being paid to lobby the U.S. Government on behalf of a foreign government’s interests,” Cummings wrote in a letter to Pence. “Lt. Gen. Flynn’s general counsel and principal, Robert Kelley, confirmed that they were hired by a foreign company to lobby for Turkish interests.”
On Sunday, incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said some aspects of the Islamic faith are “problematic” while defending Flynn’s controversial comments about Muslims. Asked on ABC whether future Flynn’s view that Islam is a political ideology that hides behind a religion is in line with Trump’s view of Islam, Priebus answered “I think so.”
“Clearly there are some aspects of that faith that are problematic and we know them; we’ve seen it,” Priebus said. “It certainly isn’t a blanket for all people of that faith, but Mike Flynn is one of the most highly respected intelligence officers in America. Certainly no one can deny that.”
NOT WORTHY: The State Department on Friday derided Russia’s denial of recent hospital bombings as unworthy of a response, after Russian officials claimed the reported attacks were pure fiction, Joel Gehrke writes. “They don’t even merit a response by me,” State Department spokesman John Kirby said. “It isn’t John Kirby saying that hospitals are being hit. It is respectable aid agencies that are reporting this, on their own, proactively.” U.S. officials have accused Russia and Syrian dictator Bashar Assad of bombing humanitarian workers repeatedly in recent months, perhaps most notably in an attack on a United Nations aid convoy that killed 20 people in September.
On Sunday, National Security Adviser Susan Rice blamed Russia for the destruction of hospitals in Syria in a new statement evidencing growing tension with a leading American rival.
Rice’s statement noted that “all remaining hospitals in Eastern Aleppo — as well as a number of first responder staging locations have been destroyed in attacks conducted by forces loyal to the Assad regime, which has been enabled by its strongest backer, Russia.”
SIRI-OUSLY SNL?: The faux Trump went into panic mode as the promises he made as a candidate finally caught up to him in this weekend’s cold open for “Saturday Night Live.” As played by Alec Baldwin, Trump was asked about his plans for beating the Islamic State, and when no one was looking, asked Siri for advice before realizing he was talking into a Blackberry. Watch here. The real Trump was not amused, tweeting: “I watched parts of @nbcsnl Saturday Night Live last night. It is a totally one-sided, biased show – nothing funny at all. Equal time for us?”
THE RUNDOWN
Military Times: Trump’s military will have more troops and more firepower — if he can find more money
Defense News: McCain Reiterates Plan For Syria As Trump Plan Remains Unknown
Associated Press: Syrian government refuses UN truce terms for Aleppo
Breaking Defense: Sorry, President Trump: Islamic State Can’t Be ‘Quickly Defeated’
Defense One: How Trump Will Fight ISIS Worries Top House Armed Services Democrat
Wall Street Journal: Fleeing Iraqi Women Tell of Harsh Treatment in Mosul
CNN: A transgender Marine comes out, tests military’s new policy
UPI: State Dept. approves sale of 40 F/A-18 fighters to Kuwait
Defense News: Ukraine Vice PM: Less US Support Dangerous to Region’s Stability
UPI: State Dept. approves sale of 72 F-15 fighters to Qatar
USNI News: Experts Predict ‘Long, Rough Ride’ for Future U.S.-Russia Relations
Task and Purpose: Congress Scrambling To Fix National Guard Reenlistment Bonus Mess Before The Holidays
Navy Times: The Navy took away sailors’ job titles, and now no one knows what to call each other
Military.com: Enlisted Rating Modernization: What’s Next for the Navy
Army Times: America’s only memorial to military women needs your help
Calendar
MONDAY | NOVEMBER 21
11 a.m. Pentagon Briefing Room. Air Force Col. John Dorrian briefs the media live from Baghdad to provide an update on operations in Iraq and Syria.
9 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW. The Center for Strategic and International Studies hosts an event on U.S. and South Korea defense acquisition policy. csis.org
3 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright delivers the introduction at a Brookings Institution event on governance and stability in the Arab world. Brookings.edu
TUESDAY | NOVEMBER 22
11 a.m. 10 First St. SE. Library of Congress. Army Secretary Eric Fanning is interviewed on topics ranging from the importance of diversity, budget stability, and innovation
