Donald Trump names General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis as Secretary of Defence
President-elect told crowd of supporters at 'USA Thank You Tour 2016' in Ohio
Donald Trump has named General James 'Mad Dog' Mattis - who openly claimed "it's fun to shoot some people" - as his defence secretary.
The President-elect announced the retired Marine Corp's nomination at a rally in Ohio as he kick-started his post-election "USA Thank You Tour 2016'' tour.
Trump has previously called 'Mad Dog' as "a true general's general" and is believed to be a popular choice among US forces.
The 66-year-old retired General earned his nickname by being an outspoken critic on President Obama's Middle East policy.
He has referred to Iran as "the single most enduring threat to stability and peace in the Middle East".
He enlisted in 1969, was later commissioned as a Marine Corps officer and served as a battalion commander in the first Gulf War.
He took part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 but earned his stripes for his leadership during the bloody Battle of Falluja a year later.
The retired four-star general attracted controversy in 2005 for claiming "it's fun to shoot some people" while speaking to service members.
"Actually it's quite fun to fight them, you know. It's a hell of a hoot"
"You go into Afghanistan, you got guys who slap women around for five years because they didn't wear a veil,"
"You know, guys like that ain't got no manhood left anyway. So it's a hell of a lot of fun to shoot them."
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Mattis noticeably holds a different view to the President-elect on waterboarding - a torture tool Trump heavily pledged to reinstate during his election campaign.
Mattis is said to have told Trump "I've always found, give me a pack of cigarettes and a couple of beers and I do better with that than I do with torture."
Despite saying he had not changed his mind on the method, Trump said he was "impressed by the answer."
Kicking off his "USA Thank You Tour 2016" Trump told supporters: "We are going to appoint 'Mad Dog' Mattis as our secretary of defence.
"He's our best.They say he's the closest thing to General George Patton [World War Two commander] that we have."
However, despite his enthusiasm the billionaire tycoon could face a constitutional battle.
Under US law, a retired officer must be out of uniform for at least seven years before serving as defence secretary.
General Mattis retired in 2013.
His impressive combat record along with a Republican-controlled Congress may help to prevent his nomination being blocked.
This would not be the first spot of bother the President-elect has run into having faced backlash last week for suggesting the UK appoint Nigel Farage as US ambassador.
Donald Trump infamously claimed "I know more about ISIS than the generals do" earlier this year.