Trump isn't a professional politician - so for an outsider his grasp of the relationship that a head of government, i.e. a politician should have with his Generals of the profession of arms is outstanding.
Obama never got close to it, Gillard, Rudd, Stephen Smith and the sundry disasters here in Australia never got it - but here's Trump laying out the groundwork perfectly before he's started in the job.
Generals should be frightening. Flinty hard, tough-minded realists, capable of causing large scale death and pandemonium on the strength of a lawful direction. They should be selected primarily for their excellence at leading warriors in the profession of arms. They should be in the background from the media but the foreground with their warriors, constantly ready to stop any threat.
If I was the head of government I would want the culture in the Department of Closing With and Killing the Enemy to be very, very different from the rest of government. I'd want the Generals to be very different people from me too. The last thing I'd be looking for is soft skills in promoting social engineering policies in transgenderism, diversity etc etc etc.
Get me the best, hardest, most effective and frightening military we can afford please General. Don't even think of becoming a media tart, forget about it if you think your job is primarily about EEO, OH&S and whatever other EIEIO Twitter trend comes along. Believe me we have enough people who think that soft stuff is their purpose in life without getting the Generals in the game.
Here's Trump.
He's talking about this outstanding leader of fighting men, ungraciously given the flick because Obama couldn't "connect" with him.
Mad Dog Mattis.
The Mattis protocols
1. “I don’t lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.”
2. “The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some assholes in the world that just need to be shot.”
3. “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you f*** with me, I’ll kill you all.”
4. “Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they’re so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.”
5. “Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.”
6. “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”
7. “The most important six inches on the battlefield is between your ears.”
8. “You are part of the world’s most feared and trusted force. Engage your brain before you engage your weapon.”
9. “There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, cunning, obedience and alertness, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.”
10. “No war is over until the enemy says it’s over. We may think it over, we may declare it over, but in fact, the enemy gets a vote.”
11. “There is nothing better than getting shot at and missed. It’s really great.”
12. “You cannot allow any of your people to avoid the brutal facts. If they start living in a dream world, it’s going to be bad.”
13. “You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn’t wear a veil. You know, guys like that ain’t got no manhood left anyway. So it’s a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them. Actually it’s quite fun to fight them, you know. It’s a hell of a hoot. It’s fun to shoot some people. I’ll be right up there with you. I like brawling.”
14. “I’m going to plead with you, do not cross us. Because if you do, the survivors will write about what we do here for 10,000 years.”
15. “Demonstrate to the world there is ‘No Better Friend, No Worse Enemy’ than a U.S. Marine.”
16. “Fight with a happy heart and strong spirit”
A tough minded realist. That's what I'd want in a General. We can leave the social engineering in much better hands.