Defense Secretary James Mattis' surprise resignation letter references progress on a national defense strategy that has propelled Pentagon efforts on securing cyber operations viewed as crucial to enhanced lethality, along with the letter's pointed reference to differences with President Trump on "treating allies." "I am proud of the progress that has been made over the past two years on some of the key goals articulated in our National Defense Strategy," which includes "improving readiness and lethality in our forces," Mattis wrote in his Dec. 20 letter to the president. The secretary's last day in office was Dec. 31. The ambitious strategy laid out by Mattis in January calls for a major modernization that is "not defined solely by hardware; it requires change in the ways we organize and employ forces." The strategy lists cyber as a "foundational" capability, along with nuclear and space, as the U.S. faces new threats driven by increased competition in an increasingly digital world. "It is now undeniable that the homeland is no longer a sanctuary. America is a target, whether from terrorists seeking to attack our citizens; malicious cyber activity against personal, commercial, or government infrastructure; or political and information subversion," Mattis wrote in his defense strategy. "New threats to commercial and military uses of space are emerging, while increasing digital connectivity of all aspects of life, business, government, and military creates significant vulnerabilities." These new threats put the Pentagon and the military in a more expansive role in protecting privately owned critical infrastructure, such as energy, telecommunications and financial services.
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