Defense Secretary
James Mattis learned in May from a colleague that President Donald Trump had made the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, and scrambled to get his boss on the phone before a formal announcement was made. It wouldn't be the last time he was caught off guard by a presidential announcement.
A month later, Mattis was informed that Trump had ordered a pause in U.S. military exercises with South Korea only after the president had already promised the concession to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Last week, Trump again blindsided and overruled his defense secretary by publicly directing the Pentagon to create a sixth military branch overseeing operations in space.
More...
A massive religious gathering on the National Mall backed by the White House is sparking backlash... 
The Pentagon is pushing back on allegations that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is politicizing the military... 
With two days to go before the next big test of Donald Trump’s iron grip over... 
