U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) applauded President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of retired U.S. Gen. James Mattis to serve as secretary of defense.
Ernst, a combat veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Mattis has led an extraordinary career in the Marine Corps.
“… As the former commander of U.S. Central Command and coauthor of the Counterinsurgency Field Manual, he is clearly knowledgeable on many of the important issues our country faces today,” Ernst said. “He has served our country well throughout his more than four decades in the military.”
Blunt called Mattis a proven leader who has the knowledge and experience to “turn the page on eight years of the Obama administration’s misguided defense and foreign policy decisions.”
More than 17,000 active-duty military personnel are based in Missouri, along with several major defense installations, including Whiteman, Rosecrans, Fort Leonard Wood, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and Missouri National Guard installations, Blunt noted.
“I look forward to supporting Gen. Mattis’ confirmation and working with him to address the challenges facing our military men and women and their families,” he said.
Wicker, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was pleased Mattis was nominated to serve as the next secretary of defense.
“Gen. Mattis is one of our nation’s leading military strategists and for good reason: he understands where military strategy and foreign policy intersect,”
Wicker said. “I have always appreciated his candor and honesty during his many appearances before the Armed Services Committee. I look forward to meeting with Gen. Mattis to discuss the threats facing our country, and will work to ensure that he is confirmed by the Senate.”