The firing of Gen. McChrystal, followed by the assignment of Gen. Petraeus to lead the war effort in Afghanistan, left the position of Commander, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), open. (It was being temporarily filled by Lt. General John Allen, USMC, who was deputy to Gen. Petraeus at CENTCOM.)
In “Who will Replace Petraeus at CENTCOM–If Anyone?” we speculated that it could be Gen. Allen, or Gen. Ray Odierno, or Gen. James N. Mattis, commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command. Gen. Martin Dempsey, the former acting chief of CENTCOM before Petraeus, was also mentioned as a possibility.
There had even been speculation that no one would replace Gen Petraeus at CENTCOM. In other words, that Petraeus could be “dual-hatted” as both Afghanistan and CENTCOM commander.
The New York Times reports this morning that:
A four-star Marine general known equally for blunt speech, combat prowess and understanding counterinsurgency warfare will be nominated to command American forces across the Middle East…
That blunt-speaking general is Gen. James N. Mattis, one of the possibilities mentioned above and someone described by Defense Secretary Gates as “one of our military’s outstanding combat leaders and strategic thinkers, bringing an essential mix of experience, judgment and perspective to this important post.”
Some will say that Gen. Mattis comes with similar baggage as McChrystal’s.
According to the Times:
For his part, General Mattis has gotten in trouble for past observations on a life of combat. In 2005, he received an official rebuke for comments that included “it’s a lot of fun to fight.”
“You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap around women for five years because they didn’t wear a veil,” he said while speaking at a forum in San Diego. “You know guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway, so it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them.”
However, Gates has noted that those remarks were made five years ago and that “appropriate action was taken at the time” and that he was confident that Mattis would not make such comments in the future.
General Mattis currently serves as commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM), in Norfolk, Va. The command focuses on supporting current operations while shaping U.S. forces for future warfare. “He previously commanded the first conventional ground forces that went into southern Afghanistan after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and commanded Marines for the invasion of Iraq and subsequent counterinsurgency operations.”
Here is some more of Gen. Mattis’ background:
Gen. Mattis has commanded at multiple levels. As a lieutenant, he served as a rifle and weapons platoon commander in the 3rd Marine Division. As a captain, he commanded a rifle company and a weapons company in the 1st Marine Brigade.
As a major, he commanded Recruiting Station Portland. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, one of Task Force Ripper’s assault battalions in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a colonel, he commanded 7th Marines (Reinforced).
Upon becoming a brigadier general, he commanded first the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade and then Task Force 58, during Operation Enduring Freedom in southern Afghanistan. As a major general, he commanded the 1st Marine Division during the initial attack and subsequent stability operations in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
In his first tour as a lieutenant general, he commanded the Marine Corps Combat Development Command and served as the deputy commandant for combat development.
Most recently, he commanded the I Marine Expeditionary Force and served as the commander of U.S. Marine Forces Central Command.
From 2007-09, he served as both NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and commander, USJFCOM.Gen. Mattis, a native of the Pacific Northwest, graduated from Central Washington State University in 1972. He is also a graduate of the Amphibious Warfare School, Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and the National War College.
General Mattis’ nomination has to be confirmed by the Senate
