Trump Picks Gen. John Kelly to Head Department of Homeland Security

General Mocked Criticism of Pentagon's Treatment of Detainees

The third general appointed so far to a major cabinet position, President-elect Donald Trump has selected former SOCOM commander Gen. John Kelly to serve as his first Secretary of Homeland Security, putting him at the head of the third largest Cabinet department.

Kelly is described primarily as a “border security hawk” and most analysts say he will face little Congressional opposition, despite some concerns that there are too many recent military leaders in top positions in the incoming administration.

Gen. Kelly’s career is not without controversy, however, clashing with President Obama over attempts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center and mockingly dismissing human rights groups’ questions about how the US treats detainees as “foolishness.”

Though Kelly’s appointment is primarily seen as centering around Trump’s desire to build a border wall, his appointment may also impact the general war on terror, as Gen. Kelly has scorned the idea of trying to understand the motivations of enemy forces in the conflict, insisting they are just “irrationally” driven to attack the US for no reason.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.