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Full details of resignation letter from 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis sent to president Donald Trump on Thursday Dec. 20, 2018 for different policies with Trump
Thursday, December 20, 2018
U.S. 26th Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis sent today on Thursday Dec. 20, 2018 his letter of resignation from his position or different with President Trump's policies. |
VietPress USA (Dec. 20, 2018): James Norman Mattis (born September 8, 1950) is the 26th United States Secretary of Defense and a former United States Marine Corps general.
Mattis commissioned in the Marine Corps through the Reserve Officers' Training Corps after graduating from Central Washington University. A career soldier, he gained a reputation for intellectualism and eventually advanced to the rank of general. Mattis served in the Persian Gulf War, Afghanistan, and Iraq. From 2007 to 2010, he commanded the United States Joint Forces Command and concurrently served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Transformation. He was Commander of United States Central Command from 2010 to 2013. After retiring from the military, he served in several private sector roles, including as a board member of Theranos.
Mattis was nominated as Secretary of Defense by President-elect Trump and confirmed by the Senate on January 20, 2017. He needed a waiver from Congress to allow his nomination to be considered, as he had only been separated from the military for the previous three years despite U.S. federal law requiring at least seven years of retirement for former military personnel to be appointed Secretary of Defense.
As Secretary of Defense, Mattis has affirmed the United States' commitment to defending longtime ally South Korea in the wake of the North Korea crisis. An opponent of proposed collaboration with Russia on military matters, Mattis has consistently stressed Russia's threat to the world order. Mattis has occasionally voiced his disagreement with certain Trump administration policies, opposing the proposed withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, and has criticized budget cuts that hamper the ability to monitor the impacts of climate change.
Mattis submitted his resignation on December 20, 2018, effective February 28, 2019, after failing to persuade Trump to reconsider his decision of the prior day to withdraw the remaining American troops from Syria.(Wikipedia).
The following is the letter of Jim Mattis's resignation sent today to President Donald Trump on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018.
Please read details from AP on Yahoo News at:
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis sent the following letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday as he stepped down from his post .
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Dear Mr. President:
I have been privileged to serve as our country's 26th Secretary of Defense which has allowed me to serve alongside our men and women of the Department in defense of our citizens and our ideals.
I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy: putting the Department on a more sound budgetary footing, improving readiness and lethality in our forces, and reforming the Department's business practices for greater performance. Our troops continue to provide the capabilities needed to prevail in conflict and sustain strong U.S. global influence.
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. While the US 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. Like you, I have said from the beginning that the armed forces of the United States should not be the policeman of the world. Instead, we must use all tools of American power to provide for the common defense, including providing effective leadership to our alliances. NATO's 29 democracies demonstrated that strength in their commitment to fighting alongside us following the 9-11 attack on America. The Defeat-ISIS coalition of 74 nations is further proof.
Similarly, I believe we must be resolute and unambiguous in our approach to those countries whose strategic interests are increasingly in tension with ours. It is clear that China and Russia, for example, want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian model — gaining veto authority over other nations' economic, diplomatic, and security decisions — to promote their own interests at the expense of their neighbors, America and our allies. That is why we must use all the tools of American power to provide for the common defense.
My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held and informed by over four decades of immersion in these issues. 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.
Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position. The end date for my tenure is February 28, 2019, a date that should allow sufficient time for a successor to be nominated and confirmed as well as to make sure the Department's interests are properly articulated and protected at upcoming events to include Congressional posture hearings and the NATO Defense Ministerial meeting in February. Further, that a full transition to a new Secretary of Defense occurs well in advance of the transition of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in September in order to ensure stability within the Department.
I pledge my full effort to a smooth transition that ensures the needs and interests of the 2.15 million Service Members and 732,079 DoD civilians receive undistracted attention of the Department at all times so that they can fulfill their critical, round-the-clock mission to protect the American people.
I very much appreciate this opportunity to serve the nation and our men and women in uniform.
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Hạnh Dương
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