{"id":27877,"date":"2018-04-26T19:42:26","date_gmt":"2018-04-26T19:42:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/04\/26\/top-three-takeaways-from-mattis-on-capitol-hill\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:16:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:16:41","slug":"top-three-takeaways-from-mattis-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2018\/04\/26\/top-three-takeaways-from-mattis-on-capitol-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 takeaways from Mattis on Capitol Hill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Geopolitics dominated Defense Secretary Jim Mattis\u2019 appearance<\/a> before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. Here are three highlights:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. U.S. arms sales.<\/b> Mattis wants Congress to add national security waivers to the law that bars U.S. arms sales to any nation that buys Russian arms: the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The law is hindering new alliances, inadvertently helping Russia, as it\u2019s \u201cboxing us in,\u201d according to Mattis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are nations in the world who are trying to turn away from formerly Russian-sourced weapons and systems,\u201d Mattis said. \u201cWe only need to look at India, Vietnam and some others to recognize that. Eventually, we\u2019re going to paralyze ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He proposed waiver authority be granted to the secretary of state. His preference was that the administration be required to report new waivers to Congress but not seek its approval each time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CAATSA inhibits deals with India, Vietnam and Indonesia, which he said are \u201ctrying to shift to more of our airplanes, our systems. But they\u2019ve got to do something to keep their legacy military going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery day Russia in a position basically to checkmate us with what they\u2019re doing. It\u2019s urgent,\u201d Mattis said. \u201cIn the dynamics of today, issues can shift countries very, very quickly. And we want to move when we see the opportunity at the speed of relevance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Iran deal. <\/b>President Donald Trump called the 2015 Iran nuclear deal \u201cinsane.\u201d But Mattis had a softer word for it: \u201cimperfect,\u201d and even praised its compliance verification process as \u201cpretty robust as far as our intrusive ability to get in\u201d with representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mattis\u2019 remarks come as the administration is up against a mid-May deadline, weighing whether it will remain in the Iran nuclear agreement. Meanwhile, the French president and German chancellor are visiting Washington this week in part to persuade Trump not to pull out of the deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, Mattis downplayed the possible link between America\u2019s withdrawal and its credibility in upcoming North Korea negotiations<\/a>, pointing to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un\u2019s unreliability in honoring agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\t