Military

Oorah, General Mattis

Donald Trump rewarded loyalists with posts at Treasury and Commerce, but the President-elect has chosen a Defense Secretary on the merits. Retired Marine General James Mattis is Mr. Trump’s nominee to run the Pentagon, which is good news for global order, as well as for the health of a military that for eight years has been treated like a political football.

A retired four-star who enlisted in the Marines in 1969, Gen. Mattis commanded a division during the 2003 Iraq invasion and later ran U.S. Central Command. He’s known as a steely warrior with a seemingly infinite library of books and memorable remarks, including the motto: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet.”