Call Sign Chaos

by Jim Mattis

“An American intelligence official told me that the Bush administration later concluded that the refusal of Centcom to dispatch the Marines…was the gravest error of the war.”

indicator flashed a danger signal, he didn’t pull back to call headquarters for guidance. That was decentralized execution. Based on understanding his commander’s intent, Lacroix decided on his own course of action, and the Crown Jewel was firmly in our hands.

If there’s something you don’t want people to see, you ought to reconsider what you’re doing. The most compelling story for us should be the naked truth about the reality of our operations.

As Churchill noted, “A lie gets halfway around the world before truth gets its pants on.” In our age, a lie can get a thousand times around the world before the truth gets its pants on.

“There are some jerks in the world,” I said, “that need to be shot. There are hunters and there are victims. No complacency! Keep your discipline and you will be the hunter. I feel sorry for every son of a bitch that doesn’t get to serve alongside you fine young men.”

Building trust and affection in units is not the same as chasing popularity, which relies on favoritism, nor does it replace the priority of accomplishing the mission. For this reason I came down hard on anyone who said, “Sir, my mission is to bring all my men home safely.” That’s a laudable and necessary goal, but the primary mission was to defeat the enemy, even as we did everything possible to keep our young men and women alive.

The Marine motto is “Semper Fidelis”—always faithful,

Our nation will always need such steadfast guardians, as every American generation has learned.

Regardless of rank or occupation, I believe that all leaders should be coaches at heart. For me, “player-coach” aptly describes the role of a combat leader, or any real leader.

It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up there with you. I like brawling.”

There will come another big war, as there will come another big hurricane, and if we want to deter it, we can do so only from strength.

If you don’t like problems, stay out of leadership. Smooth sailing teaches nothing, and there was nothing smooth about the Middle East.

The morale of a fighting force, from corporal to four-star general, must be positive.

I was arguing for journalists to practice their profession with the same integrity they expected of us.

NATO was founded after World War II to deter an attack by the Soviet Union on Western European democracies. The founding nations pledged solidarity: an attack on one would be an attack on all.

the military does not accept “difficult” as an excuse for failing at anything.

You cannot allow your passion for excellence to destroy your compassion for them as human beings.”

“Coach and encourage, don’t berate, least of all in public.”

“Only the dead have seen the last of war.”

If we didn’t have NATO today, we would have to create it in order to hold on to our Founding Fathers’ vision of freedom and rights for all. We must remember we are engaged in an experiment called democracy, and experiments can fail in a world still largely hostile to freedom. The idea of American democracy, as inspiring as it is, cannot stand without the support of like-minded nations.

At the same time, I strongly believe that Europe must contribute more.

“There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies, and that is fighting without them!”

It was to be a time when I would witness duty and deceit, courage and cowardice, and, ultimately, strategic frustration.

He highlighted the “moral right, indeed a duty” to defend our populations and values.

“Absolutely not. Religious leaders should not be running countries.”

A former boss, Navy Captain Dick Stratton, who was held in the Hanoi Hilton for 2,251 days as a “prisoner at war,” had taught me that a call from the field is not an interruption of the daily routine; it’s the reason for the daily routine.

I would listen, learn, and help, then lead.

I was determined to be a good listener and to be direct in laying out my thoughts, explaining the courses of action I was considering and asking for their views.

A wise leader must deal with reality and state what he intends, and what level of commitment he is willing to invest in achieving that end. He then has to trust that his subordinates know how to carry that out. Wise leadership requires collaboration; otherwise it will lead to failure.

If a democracy does not trust its troops, then it shouldn’t go to war.

Cooperation, too, occurs at the speed of trust.

Our liberal democracy must be protected by a bodyguard of lethal warriors, organized, trained, and equipped to dominate in battle.

Those who choose to not serve, and especially those in civilian oversight roles, must show reserve in directing social changes inside our military. They need to listen to those senior officers and NCOs who know how to compose warfighting organizations.

I learned then and I believe now that everyone needs a mentor or to be a mentor—and that no one needs a tyrant.