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We do everything humanly possible, consistent with military necessity, taking many chances to avoid civilian casualties, at all costs.

James Mattis

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James Mattis
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More quotes by James Mattis

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I'm from the American West. We have forest fires out there. And some of the worst forest fires in our history, the most damage were caused when we pulled the fire crews off the line too early. And so we're going to have to continue to keep the pressure on the enemy - ISIS. There's no room for complacency on this.
James Mattis
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It is mostly a matter of wills. Whose will is going to break first? Ours or the enemy's?
James Mattis
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I think the core problem is much closer to recognizing where force is of value, where it is useful, and to distinguish that from situations in which war is not useful or is indeed counterproductive.
James Mattis
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Actually, it's a lot of fun to fight. You know, it's a hell of a hoot.
James Mattis
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I think, broadly speaking, the US military's role - US military activism in various parts of the Islamic world over the past several decades has been counterproductive.
James Mattis
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We can kill lots of people. We do kill lots of people. We can destroy virtually anything we choose to destroy.
James Mattis
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I don't see lethality as the problem. I mean, the lethality of US forces is quite remarkable.
James Mattis
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Treachery has existed as long as there's been warfare, and there's always been a few people that you couldn't trust.
James Mattis
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Since 9/11 we've been engaged in wars around the world, and General [James] Mattis has been a leading battlefield commander in many of those theaters, including in the April 2004 siege of Fallujah, where the US Marines killed so many people that the municipal soccer stadium in the city had to be turned into a graveyard for the dead.
James Mattis
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What would you do differently as defense secretary to compensate for this record in which the greatest military in the world, as we are constantly told, doesn't get the job done?
James Mattis
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A country that armed Stalin to defeat Hitler can certainly work alongside enemies of al-Qaida to defeat al-Qaida.
James Mattis
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We are going to have to continue to keep the pressure on the enemy. There is no room for complacency on this.
James Mattis
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I was struck by the fact that none of the senators, basically, asked General [James] Mattis, Well, General, how is it that we haven't won? We haven't won anywhere, 'winning' in the sense of conclusively achieving our political objectives, however you might want to define those objectives.
James Mattis
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I don't lose any sleep at night over the potential for failure. I cannot even spell the word.
James Mattis
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It's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot. It's fun to shoot some people. I'll be right up front with you, I like brawling.
James Mattis
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The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event.
James Mattis
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The first time you blow someone away is not an insignificant event. That said, there are some *******s in the world that just need to be shot. There are hunters and there are victims. By your discipline, you will decide if you are a hunter or a victim.
James Mattis
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I would consider the principal threats to start with Russia. And it would certainly include any nations that are looking to intimidate nations around their periphery, regional nations nearby them, whether it be with weapons of mass destruction or I would call it unusual, unorthodox means of intimidating them.
James Mattis
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I would consider the principal threats to start with Russia, and it would certainly include any nations that are looking to intimidate nations around their periphery, regional nations nearby them, whether it be with weapons of mass destruction or, I would call it, unusual, unorthodox means of intimidating them, that sort of thing.
James Mattis
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Find the enemy that wants to end this experiment (in American democracy) and kill every one of them until they're so sick of the killing that they leave us and our freedoms intact.
James Mattis