Former Delta Force Commander Applauds Trump's Defense Nominee

Lt. Gen. (ret.) Jerry Boykin, former U.S. Army Delta Force commander and current Family Research Council executive vice president, believes President-elect Donald Trump made the right decision when he selected retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to be the next secretary of defense.

CBN News spoke with Lt. Gen. (ret.) Jerry Boykin, former U.S. Army Delta Force commander and current Family Research Council executive vice president, about President-elect Donald Trump's Pick for secretary of defense. Watch the interview above. 

"I think this is a wise choice for a number of reasons," Boykin told CBN News. "First of all, these two men are kindred spirits. I think they both love America very passionately, and they want what's best for America first and foremost." 

"Jim Mattis – his selection sends a very strong message to our military, to our young men and women serving," Boykin continued. "And that is that our military is going to get back to its primary mission. In fact, it really only has one mission, and that is to win the nation's wars."

"We've moved a long way from that, and I think choosing Jim Mattis sends a message that we are going to restore military readiness, and we're going to get back to being prepared to win this nation's wars," he said. "We've got a generation of people that don't know what victory is."

Boykin believes Mattis also will tell the military to get beyond political correctness, and he says the retired Marine general has a history of cutting through that way of thinking.

"He breached every protocol of political correctness in stating how he felt about things," Boykin told CBN News. "He's a very straightforward guy; he's a tough guy, and he's a consummate professional."

"Remember, here's a guy that in an almost 40-year career, he has commanded at every level, and he is, at the same time, well-versed in Socrates, in Plato, in the classics," he continued. "I mean this is a very well-rounded man, but he first and foremost is a warrior who is not concerned about political correctness, safe spaces, or someone being offended by what he says."

Boykin also says Mattis is a realist, and he points to ISIS as an example.

"Jim Mattis understands what motivates ISIS," Boykin said. "It's a theology; it's a 1,400-year-old theology that motivates them to want to go out and kill infidels and establish a global caliphate."

"He doesn't buy into nor does he see this through the lens of political correctness, and therefore he's willing to call them out," he continued. "He's willing to identify who the enemy is and why they do what they do."