General Mattis to CENTCOM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recommended General James Mattis, USMC to be the next commander of U.S. Central Command. Here is an excerpt from the DoD website:

If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis will succeed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who now commands U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Mattis currently is commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command.

If confirmed, the general would have responsibility for operations from Pakistan to Egypt and Oman to Kazakhstan. He would be the combatant commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mattis served as the commander of the Marine forces that were first in Afghanistan in 2001. He also served as the commander of the 1st Marine Division during the initial push into Iraq in 2003. He left that job to serve as the commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

He has served as the four-star commander of the U.S. Joint Forces Command since 2007.

The general has received the Defense Distinguished Service Medal twice, the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor. He is from Pullman, Wash., and has been in the Marine Corps since 1972. He served as a battalion commander in Task Force Ripper during Operation Desert Storm.

Commentary

An easy choice for Gates. Mattis seemed otherwise headed for retirement, a waste given the requirement for a strong choice at Centcom. Mattis’ most urgent task is Centcom’s diplomatic duties – in particular, establishing and extending relationships with political and military leaders around the Persian Gulf. Gen. Petraeus will handle Afghanistan and Gen. Austin will handle Iraq. Mattis will handle everything else, with Iran likely his top concern. The first step for Mattis on Iran is establishing his relationships with the GCC countries.