Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis said his letter of resignation speaks to how he feels about the situation in Syria.
Mattis, 69, resigned from office last year over disagreements with President Trump over U.S. policy in Syria. Mattis didn’t support drawing back troops from the region, while Trump did.
Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Mattis avoided delving too deeply into political commentary but said people should refer to his resignation letter to get a sense of his take on Trump’s decision to move troops out of northern Syria, allowing Turkey to attack Kurdish allies.
“It’s a page and a half long. It talks about our security being tied inextricably to our alliances. And I don’t know what more I can say about how I think we ought to treat allies and how we should treat those who are our adversaries,” the general said.
Mattis said in his resignation letter that Trump should have a secretary of defense “whose views are better aligned” with his in terms of global alliances.
“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,” Mattis wrote in his resignation letter. “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.
“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,” he added.
Mattis announced his resignation in December 2018 with it going into effect in February this year.
