From John J. Hamre, former United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, current President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He has served as chairman of the Defense Policy Board since 2007, advising the past four United States Secretaries of Defense.
Countless people in Washington can offer testimonials about General James Mattis, but I was privileged to work with him in a unique way. When I was Deputy Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis was the Executive Secretary for the Department of Defense. That meant we had the same scope of responsibilities. No one below the deputy secretary other than the Executive Secretary has responsibility for interacting with every aspect of the Defense Department. The Executive Secretary is a little known but critical function in every federal department. But in the Defense Department, it is a very special role where the individual supervises the military assistants that work for all politically appointed officials. Because of this, Jim Mattis had a comprehensive a view of the Defense Department as anyone I know.
I hear some people praise Jim Mattis as a war fighter, but say he doesn’t have background in the other important functions of the Defense Department. This isn’t true. He was in a position to see intimately the daily pulse of work flowing through the Department. I think this has prepared him in an unusual way to be a very effective Secretary.
Most importantly, Jim Mattis demonstrated time and again a measured and reflective intellect, assessing problems and understanding how an issue had to be handled for the Secretary. We worked often to chart a course for complex problems that needed thorough staffing, but also needed to be brought to the Secretary’s attention in an efficient and lucid way.
The other criticism I hear being leveled at General Mattis is that he is a military man and we should only have civilians serve as secretaries of defense. I strongly believe in civilian control of the military and generally endorse the point that we should appoint civilians to the office. But I also have worked often with Jim Mattis these past four years and am impressed by his pragmatic common sense and ecumenical approach to the military services. Jim Mattis will be a champion for America, not for the Marine Corps or for the uniformed services. I saw this countless times when he wore a uniform and have seen it often these past four years as a civilian.
Don’t be afraid. Jim Mattis will be a superb secretary of defense.
— Washington, D.C.
From Michael Teague, Oklahoma’s Secretary of Energy and Environment and former Commander for the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
One of the first times I met Attorney General Pruitt he recommended the book Founding Brothers by historian Joseph Ellis. The book details six episodes in the decade following the U.S. Constitutional Convention. It starts with the Hamilton-Burr duel and ends with the Adams-Jefferson friendship. These great leaders offer us tremendous examples of public service, the value of differing opinions, and of achieving balance.
As the former Commander for the Tulsa District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and now as Oklahoma’s state Secretary of Energy and Environment, I have spent my career serving our country at both the Federal and the State level. Protecting the environment in Oklahoma and across the United States requires balance to protect and improve our environment, while we build and maintain our economy.
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin’s all-the-above energy policy is a great example of this. In Oklahoma, we now get more than 20 percent of our power from renewables while maintaining some of the lowest electricity rates in the country without renewable mandates. It is a policy that works very well in Oklahoma, but may not be the best approach for other states. This highlights the important role of the states.
Attorney General Pruitt has filed lawsuits against the EPA when the agency overstepped its authority. The Clean Power Plan and Waters of the U.S. Rule are the most visible examples. Mr. Pruitt has also testified before Congress that the EPA is an important agency that plays a vital role in protecting our environment but it requires balance with the role of the States.
A good example of Mr. Pruitt’s convictions in action is his leadership on the Illinois River. Dating back to the 1980s and through multiple lawsuits there has been no agreement between Oklahoma and Arkansas on the correct phosphorous level in the Illinois River. Attorney General Pruitt helped to resolve the long-standing challenge by negotiating a solution that used a third-party study, done by Baylor, to evaluate the Oklahoma standard while the EPA developed the model to implement the standard. This shows the needed value of balancing federal and state roles. It also shows the value that Scott Pruitt brings to resolving a tough issue.
As the Oklahoma Attorney General, Scott Pruitt has pushed for states to lead in improving our environment. I believe he will bring this same philosophy to the EPA and reestablish the right balance.
— Oklahoma City, Okla.