James Mattis: leadership and military strategy in the war on terror

Some of his more popular nicknames are ‘the mad dog’ and ‘warrior monk.’ He has spent decades on the war front and is regarded one of the most effective military leaders ever. Today, he serves as Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense. Prior to his retirement, James Mattis served as the Commander of the United States Central Command, effectively meaning that he oversaw military operations in a number of vast regions including, but not limited to, the Middle East. His character, approach to leadership, and accomplishments make him stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other maverick generals before him, including Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. As much as he is tough-fighting and tough-talking, Mattis is also a charismatic military leader. He managed to inspire his troops towards the accomplishment of missions and did not shy away from ‘getting into the trenches’ and, thus effectively uplifting the morale of the marines. His ability to ‘descend’ to the level of his juniors and actively engage them earned him the ‘most revered Marine in a generation’ recognition by the Marine Corps Times (Fick, 2006). Mattis is also a quick and strategic thinker as was demonstrated during his 30 second deliberation on whether or not to strike a safe house in a small Iraqi village that appeared to house foreign fighters. Although the target in this particular attack ended up being a wedding ceremony, and led to the death of civilians, Mattis would later on explain that he had only 30 seconds to make a decision based on the Intel before him (Danielo, 2007).