Defense Secretary Jim Mattis voiced his concerns for 2018 when speaking with reporters on Friday.
When asked by a reporter what his military concerns are for 2018, Mattis turned the question on the reporter and replied: “I don’t have concerns. I create them.”
Marcus Weisgerber (Twitter)
Mattis is known for turning questions on people who ask him about America’s enemies.
Last year, during an interview with CBS host John Dickerson, Dickerson asked Mattis: “What keeps you awake at night?” The question posed was meant to reference all of America’s enemies, including those through situations in Iran, North Korea and with ISIS.
“Nothing. I keep other people awake at night,” Mattis responded.
And last week, Mattis vowed to continue working with Pakistan to destroy terrorism despite the United States’ plan to stop some of its financial aid to the country.
“We are still working with Pakistan and we will restore the aid if we see decisive movements against the terrorists who are as much of a threat against Pakistan as they are against us. We’ve had strong disagreements on some issues and we are working on those,” Mattis said.
Mattis also said the country should focus more on targeting terrorist groups in Pakistan, especially along the border of Afghanistan, where terrorists plan attacks on American troops.
Last Thursday, an official with President Donald Trump’s administration told The Associated Press that $2 billion in military aid would be withheld until Pakistan “takes decisive action” against terrorist groups such as the Taliban.
