NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg paid tribute to General James N. Mattis’ lifetime of public service in a speech in Berlin (18 November 2021). The Secretary General thanked General Mattis for being “an outstanding ally and a steadfast supporter of a strong transatlantic bond.”
General Mattis was awarded the Henry A. Kissinger Prize for his contributions to the transatlantic relationship by the American Academy of Berlin at the ceremony on Thursday night. Mr Stoltenberg gave a commendatory speech for General Mattis, along with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen.
The Secretary General thanked General Mattis for his commitment to transatlantic security, not least by encouraging European Allies and Canada to add an extra $260 billion for defence from 2014 to 2021. Mr Stoltenberg also recognised General Mattis’ distinguished military service saying “in all of my years at NATO, I have never met anyone with greater respect for our troops, or known someone who is more highly respected in return.”
General Mattis served for 44 years in the US Marine Corps. He was the 26th US Secretary of Defense from 2017-2019, and NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) from 2007-2009.