Defense Secretary Jim Mattis may be allowed to sign off on time-sensitive raids and drone strikes without having to consult President Trump, according to a new report.
The Daily Beast reported Wednesday morning Trump wants Mattis to have a freer hand in ordering raids that had to be approved by the president under President Obama. Such a decision would take Trump out of the loop on making decisions about raids like the one that killed a Navy SEAL in Yemen last month.
American commanders are able to make decisions on raids and drone strikes in war zones, but in places such as Somalia, Libya, Yemen and other areas outside war zones, the decision is usually made by the president. American military personnel complain that this lengthy decision-making process ends up costing precious hours or days.
Trump this week appeared to distance himself from his military leaders over the loss of Senior Chief Petty Officer William “Ryan” Owens. Trump was quickly criticized for not accepting blame for Owens’ death since he was the one who ultimately ordered the mission.
“Well, this was a mission that was started before I got here,” Trump told “Fox and Friends” this week. “This was something that was, you know, just — they wanted to do. And they came to see me and they explained what they wanted to do, the generals, who are very respected. My generals are the most respected that we’ve had in many decades, I would — I believe. And they lost Ryan.”
The amount of intelligence seized from the raid has been debated; the White House contends it was highly successful, but multiple reports citing U.S. officials indicate no real intelligence was gathered during the mission.
The raid also allegedly killed an 8-year-old girl who was an American citizen.
The report indicated Trump might be less risk-averse to the possibility of casualties, both American and civilian, than Obama. The White House was extremely cautious under Obama’s leadership, and that often frustrated the military.
