Retired general revealed to be US Secretary of Defense

Retired General James Mattis is now the leading candidate for US Secretary of Defense as President-elect Donald Trump is arranging his cabinet before taking office in January next year.

US President-elect Donald Trump meets with retired General James Mattis. (Photo: AFP)

US President-elect Donald Trump said yesterday that he is considering nominating retired General James Mattis as Secretary of Defense. On his Twitter account, Mr. Trump praised General Mattis as "very impressive" and "truly a general among generals."

The comments came a day after Mr. Trump had a private meeting with Mr. Mattis and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who is considered a strong candidate for Secretary of State in Mr. Trump's new administration despite his harsh criticism of the New York billionaire.

Mr. Mattis is a retired Marine Corps general. He joined the Marine Corps at the age of 19 and served in the Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

In 2003, he was promoted to lieutenant general and a year later held key positions in the Fallujah battlefield. In 2007, General Mattis was appointed head of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and supreme commander of NATO forces. In 2010, he took command of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), which manages the two US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Retired General James Mattis. (Photo: AFP)

Although he is the most promising candidate according to Mr. Trump's choice, to become the boss of the Pentagon, Mr. Mattis needs the approval of the US Congress.

Immediately after being elected on November 8, Mr. Trump and his transition team quickly searched for personnel for the government apparatus. Although there have been many meetings and discussions at Trump Tower - which is now considered the "White House of New York" - so far, Mr. Trump has only identified 3 positions including Attorney General, National Security Advisor and CIA Director, all 3 of these appointments have faced harsh criticism from the Democrats./.

According toDan Tri