Mattis Holds Firm as Chaos Engulfs Trump’s National Security Team
- Pentagon chief’s influence shown in Trump move to sign budget
- ‘He’ll be the last man standing,’ analyst Eaglen says
Bolton in White House Gives New Take on Foreign Policy
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President Donald Trump’s shakeup of his national security team adds to the burden on one man at the center of any decision about war and peace: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
Long a champion of alliances and diplomacy, Mattis increasingly finds himself surrounded by policy hawks on issues from Iran to North Korea. Yet his command of the nation’s 1.2 million active duty personnel makes him uniquely placed to steer Trump away from any rash decision to unleash the U.S. military.