Former Secretary of Defense and retired four-star General Jim Mattis advocated for the significance of civic duty and leadership by example at a Tuesday event hosted by Stanford Political Union (SPU) and Stanford in Government (SIG) in Encina Hall. He stressed the importance of having allies and preserving trust, criticizing recent events that have eroded American moral values.
“[Stanford in Government] brought General Mattis in and we worked together to set up a location through the outreach and brought people together,” Vish Karthikeyan ’27 of SPU told The Daily.
Mattis served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1969 to 2013 and was a commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) from 2010 to 2013. He was also the U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2019, though he was fired following his attempt to resign due to disagreements with Trump about Syria and the effectiveness of alliances.
Growing up, Mattis said he was inspired by the life examples given to him by the Greatest Generation, referring to Americans born between 1901 and 1924 who experienced growing up during the Great Depression and World War II.
He recounted a conversation with a foreigner, who praised America’s sacrifices for the world order after World War II by forging strong alliances and by creating the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Mattis lamented the loss of such instances of leadership by example for younger generations. He described the U.S. as being “held in usufruct,” referencing a letter by Thomas Jefferson to James Madison. Jefferson, who owned a plantation, believed that land held in usufruct means that current generations are supposed to pass on the land to future generations in better condition than when they received it. Mattis finds himself disappointed by the America his generation is handing over to younger generations today.
“Right now, I’m embarrassed by what my generation is trying to turn over to you all,” Mattis said. “This is not normal. It’s normal that you two have arguments, and you vote differently. When the election’s over, we then work together. That’s how that’s how we did it when I was growing up, not this infantile stuff you see going on in both parties.”
America’s role as a world leader is at risk, Mattis added, especially due to its treatment of its longtime allies and the potential loss of trust. He stressed the need to have allies, referencing the global support for the U.S. after the deadly Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that claimed almost 3,000 lives.
“The biggest concern I have right now is if America loses a grasp on its values — on its moral and ethical role — that is a weakening and… allies are going to lose trust,” Mattis said. “Right now, the allies are bruised by what we’ve done, with trade wars against them and mocking them in some cases, but it’s not all broken. They know that’s not where most of America is at.”
Mattis also spoke about the loss of trust within the U.S. military. A day prior to the event, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth ordered that the Pentagon cut 20% of its four-star generals. In February, Trump made changes within the military and fired several top officials, including General Charles Brown Jr., the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mattis argued that for change to be successful, a specific problem has to be defined and agreed upon, and not simply done as an experiment. He criticized the administration for not providing any statement to explain the firing of Brown, who he knew personally.
“Without an agreed upon problem state — not just defined, but agreed upon — you just create uncertainty and ill feelings, and you break apart trust,” Mattis said. “We say that operations go at the speed of trust, not the speed of jet airplanes or ships or tanks.”
Throughout the event, Mattis emphasized the importance of civic education and service, adding that it does not have to be in a military role, but could come in the form of teaching, volunteering for the Peace Corps or serving on a school board.
“When you start serving, your own problems seem to shrink,” Mattis said. “If you become aware of other people’s issues, you don’t have too much to be concerned with once you realize what other people are facing. Go out and serve. You’ll never regret it.”
Attendee Ken Bui ’25 resonated with Mattis’ sentiment, and wished more Stanford students would feel a call to public service.
“I think one of the most salient points he brought up tonight was [that] it doesn’t matter in which capacity you serve. I deeply resonate with that,” Bui said. “A lot of us here were in the ROTC and I think we all resonate pretty strongly with this.”
In the future, Mattis hopes that younger generations will take action and fix problems in a more unified direction instead of sinking into “cynicism and victimhood.”
“You’ve got to bring us back to a classic liberal democracy. That’s going to be your job,” he said.