About the Guest
James N. Mattis is currently the Davies Family Distinguished Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University where he lectures and writes on domestic and international security policy. In 2017-18 he served as the 26th Secretary of Defense.
During his 43 years in the Marine Corps, retired Gen. Mattis commanded combat tours at the platoon, battalion, regiment, brigade, division, force, and theater levels, including command of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom and of the 1st Marine Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003.
He was elected to the Academy in 2021.
A more extensive biography of retired Gen. Mattis is here in the Academy's member directory.
Episode Summary
Retired Gen. James Mattis speaks with Academy President Laurie Patton about the peculiarities of leadership in an era of hyper partisanship, his early professional growth, and the relationship between the American military and the American public.
Additional Notes
Gino Beniamino produces Amacad.
“Love Endures,” from the jazz quartet 4-Sight featuring Rodney Whitaker, is the Amacad theme music.