defense secretary james mattis

Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis delivers the keynote address during the 74th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner on Thursday in New York.

Mattis Takes Swipe At Trump: 'I Earned My Spurs On The Battlefield'

1:04pm October 18, 2019

by Scott Neuman

In a speech blending humor with a serious message, the former secretary of defense also quoted a warning by Lincoln against a leader "unfettered by conscience, precedent or decency."

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his resignation on Thursday, following a decision by President Trump to withdraw American troops from Syria. He'll be replaced by Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan starting in January.

Trump Says Jim Mattis Will Leave By Jan. 1, Announces Acting Defense Secretary

4:26pm December 23, 2018

by Francesca Paris

Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan will assume Mattis' duties starting in the new year. Trump had previously said Mattis would step down at the end of February.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, one of President Trump's most important early advisers, is the latest to depart the administration.

Defense Secretary Mattis Resigns Amid Syria And Afghanistan Tension

10:49pm December 20, 2018

by Philip Ewing

The retired Marine general had been granted a rare waiver to run the Pentagon as he had been out of uniform for only three years, but his relationship with President Trump eventually turned cold.

The Pentagon plans to build temporary camps for detained immigrants. Here, children of detained migrants are seen at a tent encampment near the U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry in Tornillo, Texas.

Pentagon To House Migrants At 2 Military Bases In Texas

2:28pm June 25, 2018

by Bill Chappell

Migrant families will be housed at Fort Bliss, an Army base outside El Paso, NPR's Tom Bowman reports. Unaccompanied migrant children will be housed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, outside San Angelo.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis pictured speaking at the White House Wednesday. He said Thursday that "Dreamers" in the military won't be deported.

National

Mattis: 'Dreamers' In The Miliary Won't Be Deported

10:23pm February 08, 2018

by Richard Gonzales

Some young immigrants who had been allowed to join the armed forces are still waiting for basic training and feared their legal status would expire before they could serve.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (right), with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, arrived in Kabul on Wednesday. A rocket attack targeted Kabul's main airport on the same day.

World News

Rockets Hit Kabul Airport After Mattis Arrives On Unannounced Visit

10:13am September 27, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Militant fighters fired several rockets that exploded at or near Hamid Karzai International Airport, hours after U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan. No injuries were reported.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis seems to be aiming to reassure U.S. allies while overseas. Ahead of an unannounced visit to Iraq, Mattis rejected President Trump's statements that the U.S. should have seized Iraqi oil after the invasion.

Defense Secretary James Mattis: 'We're Not In Iraq To Seize Anybody's Oil'

12:01pm February 20, 2017

by Maggie Penman

In an unannounced visit, Defense Secretary James Mattis traveled to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi leaders. He arrived during a fight to retake western Mosul, with allies' faith in the U.S. at a low.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, left, walks with Vice Adm. Robert Harward, center, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, and Col. Kelly Martin, the vice commander of 6th Air Mobility Wing, after landing at MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Fla

Robert Harward Turns Down Job as National Security Adviser

9:18pm February 16, 2017

Harward was offered the job to replace Michael Flynn, who was fired Monday by Trump. But Harward said no, reportedly because the job was too demanding to bring him out of retirement.