Jim Mattis was all smiles the day after President Donald Trump reportedly called his former defense secretary “the world’s most overrated general” during a tense White House meeting with lawmakers on Wednesday.
Withdrawing U.S. troops from northern Syria jeopardizes American credibility among allies and could unravel progress already made to quash the Islamic State, according to retired Gen. Joseph Votel.
The U.S. president has decided to withdraw his troops from northeastern Syria, essentially clearing the path for a Turkish military invasion of the region.
Mattis told an audience in Washington on Friday that his decision to become defense secretary was informed by the sense of duty he cultivated for 43 years in uniform.