{"id":28404,"date":"2016-12-02T23:16:44","date_gmt":"2016-12-02T23:16:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=28404"},"modified":"2016-12-03T00:22:54","modified_gmt":"2016-12-03T00:22:54","slug":"trump-names-gen-james-mad-dog-mattis-as-defence-secretary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=28404","title":{"rendered":"Trump names Gen James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as defence secretary"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"trump-mattis\"International desk: US President-elect Donald Trump has named General James Mattis as his defence secretary.<\/p>\n

“He's our best,” Mr Trump said, as he announced the nomination to a rally of supporters in Ohio.<\/p>\n

Gen Mattis, who is known as “Mad Dog”, was an outspoken critic of the Obama administration's Middle East policy, particularly on Iran.<\/p>\n

He has referred to Iran as “the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East”.<\/p>\n

Mr Trump made the announcement in Cincinnati at the start of a “USA Thank You Tour 2016” for his supporters.<\/p>\n

“We are going to appoint ‘Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defence,” he told the crowd.<\/p>\n

“They say he's the closest thing to General George Patton [World War Two commander] that we have.”<\/p>\n

Mr Trump has previously described Gen Mattis, 66, as “a true general's general”.<\/p>\n

The retired Marine Corps officer led an assault battalion during the first Gulf war in 1991 and commanded a task force into southern Afghanistan in 2001.<\/p>\n

He also took part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and played a key role a year later in the Battle of Fallujah.<\/p>\n

Gen Mattis retired in 2013 after serving as the commander of the US Central Command.<\/p>\n

Correspondents say his nomination will be popular among US forces.<\/p>\n

However, a constitutional hurdle must be overcome before he can be appointed.<\/p>\n

Under US law, a retired officer must be out of uniform for at least seven years before he or she can serve as defence secretary.<\/p>\n

Republican-controlled Congress will have to approve legislation bypassing the requirement so he can take up the role.BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

International desk: US President-elect Donald Trump has named General James Mattis as his defence secretary. “He’s our best,” Mr Trump said, as he announced the nomination to a rally of supporters in Ohio. Gen Mattis, who is known as “Mad Dog”, was an outspoken critic of the Obama administration’s Middle East policy, particularly on Iran. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n