Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Placing Russia first among threats, Defense nominee warns of attempt to "break NATO"

  1. #1 | Top
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    61,320
    Thanks
    7,144
    Thanked 8,821 Times in 6,166 Posts
    Groans
    5,805
    Groaned 1,532 Times in 1,444 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default Placing Russia first among threats, Defense nominee warns of attempt to "break NATO"

    Placing Russia first among threats, Defense nominee warns of Kremlin attempts to ‘break’ NATO

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...31e_story.html

    Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, Donald Trump’s pick to be the next U.S. defense secretary, placed Russia first among principal threats facing the United States, arguing for greater American support for European allies to counter what he said were Moscow’s attempts to shatter the North Atlantic security alliance.

    Mattis, a respected combat leader who made his name in the wars following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, cautioned that sustained cuts to military budgets and personnel meant the U.S. military is no longer strong enough to easily outmatch Russia and other adversaries.

    Mattis’s remarks during his confirmation hearing Thursday provide some of the first hints about how the Trump administration, which has not put forward comprehensive national security plans, may alter the posture of the world’s most advanced military at a time of institutional strain and uncertainty about the future.

    Mattis’s seeming differences with Trump and those with the president-elect’s pick to be secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who unlike Mattis has suggested that he might support renegotiating President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, could lead to a fractious approach to foreign policy and interagency feuding in the next administration.

    Mattis spoke as Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.), whom Trump has tapped to lead the CIA, pushed back on Trump’s support for waterboarding during the campaign and said he would reject orders to torture detainees.

    The conflicting statements from the men who will be Trump’s most senior advisers increase uncertainty about what actions the new administration will take as military leaders continue to battle the Islamic State and grapple with growing challenges from China and North Korea.

    Several hours after Mattis’s testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the Senate voted 81 to 17 to waive a measure requiring defense secretaries to have been out of military service for seven years. Mattis retired in 2013.

    Later in the day, the House Armed Services Committee approved a similar measure along party lines, 34 to 28. The full House must also vote on that measure.

    Although some of the president-elect’s other Cabinet picks have come under intense questioning in their own confirmation hearings, Mattis encountered virtually no challenges from lawmakers to his suitability for the top Pentagon job.

    The 66-year-old veteran, known for his use of the call sign “Chaos” during overseas deployments, has earned a reputation as a scholarly, plain-spoken officer with an impressive combat record. His blunt style has brought controversy at times, as have his hawkish views on confronting threats in the Middle East.

    How long Cabinet confirmations take — and why past nominees failed VIEW GRAPHIC
    Mattis was named the head of U.S. Central Command in 2010, but he left in 2013 amid disagreement with the Obama White House over the general’s desire to intensify the military response to Iranian activities throughout the region.

    Iran remains “the primary source of turmoil” in the Middle East, Mattis told lawmakers on Thursday, with its support for regional militant cells, its ballistic missile capability, its maritime provocations and cyber initiatives.

    Although Mattis’s hawkish views on the danger from Iran appear to coincide with Trump’s, he broke with the president-elect by voicing support for leaving the nuclear deal with Tehran intact.

    “I think it is in an imperfect arms control agreement — it’s not a friendship treaty,” he said. “But when America gives her word, we have to live up to it and work with our allies.”

    [As a general, Mattis urged action against Iran. As a defense secretary, he may be a voice of caution.]

    The questioning was notable for its scant discussion of the wars in Afghanistan, where 8,400 U.S. troops are stationed; in Iraq, where about 6,000 Americans are supporting a punishing Iraqi offensive against the Islamic State; and in Syria, where a small Special Operations force hopes to help local forces drive the militants from their stronghold of Raqqa.

    Mattis did say that the U.S. strategy for Raqqa “needs to be reviewed and perhaps energized on a more aggressive timeline.”

    Speaking to lawmakers about Russian activity beyond its borders, Mattis gave a full-throated defense of NATO and said he supports the Pentagon’s European Reassurance Initiative, which has added military power in eastern Europe in response to concerns about Russian pressure on the Baltics. On Thursday, Putin’s spokesman criticized the United States’ decision to begin a major deployment of troops and heavy equipment near Russian borders in eastern Europe.

    “Since Yalta, we have a long list of times we’ve tried to engage positively with Russia. We have a relatively short list of successes in that regard,” Mattis said, referring to the Yalta conference at the close of World War II. “The most important thing is that we recognize the reality of what we deal with Mr. Putin and we recognize that he is trying to break the North Atlantic alliance, and that we take the steps . . . to defend ourselves where we must.”

    As he did with Iran, Mattis, despite his harsh rhetoric, provided few specific ideas for using military means to push back against Russia.

    It’s unclear whether Mattis’s views will spark a confrontation with the Trump White House. Trump’s apparent interest in partnering with Moscow against the Islamic State in Syria, for example, may renew resistance that such ideas have provoked among military leaders in the past.

    Mattis repeatedly spoke up for traditional alliances, including those with NATO, South Korea and Japan, that Trump has questioned. The president-elect has expressed skepticism about U.S. security commitments unless those partners increase outlays for their own defense.

    “We must also embrace our international alliances and security partnerships. History is clear: Nations with strong allies thrive and those without them wither,” Mattis said.

    The nominee said Trump has shown himself to be open and inquisitive while discussing NATO with him. Asked how he, a retired four-star general, would negotiate his relationship with Trump’s pick for national security adviser, retired three-star general Michael Flynn, Mattis said that debate of policy issues “isn’t always tidy” but he didn’t expect problems.

    Asked about the possibility that Trump’s Cabinet nominees may differ with him on Russia, incoming press secretary Sean Spicer said that the president-elect was “not asking for clones” in selecting his senior advisers. Still, he said, “at the end of the day, each one of them is going to pursue a Trump agenda and a Trump vision.”

    Democratic lawmakers expressed hope that Mattis, forged by the military establishment and boasting experience across administrations of both parties, would act as a restraint on some of Trump’s impulses.

    Repeatedly, the retired general referred to the need to improve military readiness, blaming years of budget cuts for an erosion to American technology and manpower. Trump has promised to increase defense spending.

    Mattis, who comes from a service that has led pushback to efforts to integrate women into combat positions, also signaled openness to allowing female service members to serve in all jobs as long as they meet established requirements.

    Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a strong supporter of gender integration, pointed to comments Mattis made after his retirement questioning the wisdom of placing women serving in all combat roles. Mattis responded that he has no plans to oppose women in any roles within the military. He said that he had hundreds of women serving among his 23,000 Marines during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

    “I’m coming in with the [understanding] that I lead the Department of Defense and if someone brings me a problem then I’ll look at it, but I’m not coming in looking for problems,” he said. “I’m looking for a way to get the department so it’s at the most lethal stance.”
    "Do not think that I came to bring peace... I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." - Matthew 10:34

  2. #2 | Top
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Posts
    61,320
    Thanks
    7,144
    Thanked 8,821 Times in 6,166 Posts
    Groans
    5,805
    Groaned 1,532 Times in 1,444 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default

    MATTIS FOR PRESIDENT! NUKE MOSCOW!
    "Do not think that I came to bring peace... I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." - Matthew 10:34

  3. #3 | Top
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    6,115
    Thanks
    17,760
    Thanked 3,240 Times in 2,333 Posts
    Groans
    97
    Groaned 161 Times in 150 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default

    I'd absolutely LOVE to renegotiate that bogus "treaty" with Iran. Maybe turn it into something with some teeth, if they don't want to renegotiate, shit-can it. Same with Cuba.
    “The Communist party must control the guns.”
    ― Mao Tse-tung



    “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”-Generally attributed to Uncle Joe Stalin



    “Everything under heaven is in utter choas; the situation is excellent.”
    ― mao tse-tung

  4. #4 | Top
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    life
    Posts
    52,794
    Thanks
    13,341
    Thanked 22,579 Times in 15,814 Posts
    Groans
    249
    Groaned 1,951 Times in 1,862 Posts

    Default

    Mattis’s seeming differences with Trump and those with the president-elect’s pick to be secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, who unlike Mattis has suggested that he might support renegotiating President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, could lead to a fractious approach to foreign policy and interagency feuding in the next administration.
    it's a good thing to have more then 1 viewpoint in the WH NSCouncil.

    Gee..Putin is pushing back on NATO expansion..who would have thunk it??

  5. #5 | Top
    Join Date
    Sep 2016
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    4,121
    Thanks
    253
    Thanked 1,189 Times in 895 Posts
    Groans
    29
    Groaned 88 Times in 87 Posts

    Default

    "I'd absolutely LOVE to renegotiate that bogus "treaty" with Iran. Maybe turn it into something with some teeth" c #3

    Most students from middle school could fantasize terms more favorable to the U.S.

    The great challenge in negotiations is to fashioning terms the other side will agree to.

    The compulsive Obama-bashers love to simply say Secretary Kerry was bested by the evil Iranians, and that Obama / Kerry are incompetent buffoons.

    - splendid -

    So Obama is a bumbling incompetent. Dandy. Everyone knows that already. Guess what. If that, then so are:

    - Britain

    - France

    - Germany

    - China

    - Russia

    the other negotiators that joined Obama / Kerry in the agreement with Iran.

    The terms THEY agreed to a WORD FOR WORD the same terms Obama agreed to.

    So if Obama's a fool, they all too are fools.

    While you're feeding your unicorn, be sure and tell the Easter Bunny sear said hello.

  6. #6 | Top
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Posts
    15,536
    Thanks
    1,378
    Thanked 3,981 Times in 3,024 Posts
    Groans
    130
    Groaned 841 Times in 781 Posts

    Default

    fyi obama fired mattis.
    is on twitter @realtsuke

    https://tsukesthoughts.wordpress.com/

  7. #7 | Top
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Posts
    6,115
    Thanks
    17,760
    Thanked 3,240 Times in 2,333 Posts
    Groans
    97
    Groaned 161 Times in 150 Posts
    Blog Entries
    3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by sear View Post
    "I'd absolutely LOVE to renegotiate that bogus "treaty" with Iran. Maybe turn it into something with some teeth" c #3

    Most students from middle school could fantasize terms more favorable to the U.S.

    The great challenge in negotiations is to fashioning terms the other side will agree to.

    The compulsive Obama-bashers love to simply say Secretary Kerry was bested by the evil Iranians, and that Obama / Kerry are incompetent buffoons.

    - splendid -

    So Obama is a bumbling incompetent. Dandy. Everyone knows that already. Guess what. If that, then so are:

    - Britain

    - France

    - Germany

    - China

    - Russia

    the other negotiators that joined Obama / Kerry in the agreement with Iran.

    The terms THEY agreed to a WORD FOR WORD the same terms Obama agreed to.

    So if Obama's a fool, they all too are fools.

    While you're feeding your unicorn, be sure and tell the Easter Bunny sear said hello.
    Yes, they ARE fools. And I don't have a unicorn, I have a velociraptor
    “The Communist party must control the guns.”
    ― Mao Tse-tung



    “Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the vote decide everything.”-Generally attributed to Uncle Joe Stalin



    “Everything under heaven is in utter choas; the situation is excellent.”
    ― mao tse-tung

Similar Threads

  1. " NATO is warmongering " ; German Foreign Minister.
    By moon in forum Current Events Forum
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 06-18-2016, 02:52 AM
  2. " Russians made Syria peace possible " - ex NATO chief.
    By moon in forum Current Events Forum
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 02-14-2016, 09:18 AM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 03-25-2012, 02:28 PM
  4. Attorney General Nominee represented "Dial a Porn" client.
    By uscitizen in forum Off Topic Forum
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 10-03-2007, 12:31 PM
  5. Replies: 8
    Last Post: 09-06-2006, 09:51 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Rules

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •