Beloved retired Marine Gen. James Mattis is joining the board of directors for the Center for a New American Security, the think tank announced today.
Retired Adm. Gary Roughead, a former chief of Naval Operations, and Pandora Radio founder Tim Westergren are also joining the CNAS board, according to the announcement.
Mattis, who retired in 2013 following a 41-year Marine Corps career, previously served as commanding general for U.S. Central Command.
Perhaps best known for leading 1st Marine Division during the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Mattis earned a reputation for his straightforward statements, innovative approach to warfighting, and close connection with rank-and-file Marines.
Since retirement, Mattis has completed a residence at Dartmouth College's John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding and served as a visiting fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution in California. He is also collaborating with military author Bing West on a book about leadership principles.
"There are very few people who have as much strategic and tactical experience as Gen. Mattis," said current CNAS board member Joseph Lieberman, a former U.S. senator, in a press release from the think tank. "As the Commander of CENTCOM and Joint Forces Command, he has dealt head-on with many of the most difficult issues facing the military and, indeed, the entire U.S. I am looking forward to working with him."
On the CNAS board, Mattis joins legendary Marine John Allen, the retired former four-star and former commander of International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan who was and the recently appointed Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL. Also on the board is Nathaniel Fick, the former Marine reconnaissance officer who documented his experience during the Iraq Invasion in the popular memoir "One Bullet Away."
