Defense Secretary James Mattis made his first public appearance in office Friday, when he was ceremonially sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence at the Pentagon. “On behalf of your department, those serving today have been tested and you can count on us all the way,” Mattis said during the ceremony. President Donald Trump said at the ceremony that he has “total confidence” in Mattis, who he said “likes action” and is “the right man at the right time.” The White House is preparing a defense budget that will make Congress “very happy to see it” and will ensure that no one questions the strength of the US military, added Trump.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
