Russia is the main threat to US interests, according to President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, the tough-talking retired Gen. James Mattis.
Russia’s role was the primary focus of questions directed to Mattis and Congressman Mike Pompeo, the new administration’s choice to lead the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), on the third day of Congressional hearings for Trump nominees.Both Mattis and Pompeo diverged from some of Trump’s policies and statements during the election campaign, laying the foundation for potential disagreements with the incoming president.
Even when Russia was not mentioned directly during Thursday’s hearings, an electricity blackout in the Hart and Dirksen buildings at the US Congress forced a delay in Pompeo’s hearing. This triggered speculation and jokes over whether Moscow had been interrupting it.
The outage happened as Sen. Mark Warner was asking Pompeo about the alleged Russian hacking; it was later attributed to technical issues as maintenance crews worked to restore the power supply.
Russia ‘Number 1’ threat
Mattis — who earned the nickname “Mad Dog” thanks to his frank comments and approach to warfare — said the Russian government is “the Number 1 threat to US interests.”
He added: “I have very modest expectations about areas of cooperation with Mr. Putin.”
If Mattis is confirmed for the position as secretary of defense, his statements will jar with those of his new boss, Donald Trump.
Five days ago Trump — writing on Twitter — slammed those who oppose good relations with Russia as “stupid people” and “fools.”
But for Mattis, Russia’s attempts to “break up NATO” and the “relatively short list of successes” with Moscow since 1945 have driven skepticism.
Mattis, who won overwhelming support from the Senate Armed Services Committee to grant him permission to serve in a civilian post despite not spending seven years outside the military, is expected to sail through his confirmation.
His views on the Iran nuclear deal — stating that “it’s not a deal I would have signed… but when America gives her word, we have to live up to it and work with our allies” — gained him bipartisan support. So did his call for a “more energized on a more aggressive timeline” against Daesh.
Mattis will be directing US military operations and reviewing the current strategy to defeat Daesh, which currently holds territory in Iraq, Syria and Libya. He said that “we have to deliver a very hard blow against Daesh in the Middle East so there is no sense of invulnerability or invincibility there” and in preventing the group from “popping up elsewhere.”
Mattis also advised over the need to reassure his country’s Arab partners. In response to one of the questions on Israel, he stressed: “I think we’ve got to restore a better relationship with Israel and with our Arab allies… there’s a sense on their part that we’re indifferent to the security situation they face.” He also called for more diligence in countering the Iranian ballistic missile threat.
Pompeo: Iran a leading sponsor of terror
A few rooms down from the Mattis hearing, Pompeo told the Senate Intelligence Committee that “Iran — the leading state sponsor of terror — has become an emboldened, disruptive player in the Middle East,” and blamed Tehran for “fueling tension with our Sunni allies.”
But Pompeo, who has fiercely opposed the Iran nuclear deal, appeared to be adjusting this earlier position in the hearing. He told the lawmakers that, while as a member of Congress he opposed the Iran deal, if confirmed his “role will change.”
Yet Pompeo expressed clear disagreements with Trump on the cyberattacks and views of the US intelligence community. He sided and praised the US intelligence services in accusing Russia of orchestrating the election cyberattacks and took an aggressive position on the threat that the Kremlin poses. Pompeo said that “Russia has reasserted itself aggressively, invading and occupying Ukraine, threatening Europe, and doing nearly nothing to aid in the destruction” of Daesh.
He also called Syria a “failed state and has become one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century,” and echoed fears over Daesh’s capability to send foreign fighters back to their countries of origins where they can carry attacks against the West.

Source :Arab News