Trump's choice to lead Pentagon embraces civilian control

In testimony prepared for his Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Mattis said he understands his role as the Defense Department's civilian leader would be different "in essence and in substance" from his four decades in uniform.

[...] Trump insisted during the presidential campaign that U.S. treaty allies and security partners pay more for their own defense and for hosting American forces on their soil.

Eliot A. Cohen, a senior State Department counselor in President George W. Bush's administration who has publicly criticized the incoming Trump team, said at a Senate hearing this week that he feels a "sense of alarm" about the judgment of the incoming administration.

Michael Flynn, who left the Army as a lieutenant general in 2014 after a tumultuous tenure as the Defense Intelligence Agency's director, is Trump's national security adviser.