Mattis, 66, retired in 2013 after serving more than four decades in the Marines. Federal law bars anyone from heading the Defense Department who served in the military in the past seven years. Mattis, a popular figure at the Pentagon and in Congress, received little resistance from committee members during the 3½-hour hearing. In 1950, President Truman nominated Army Gen. George Marshall to head the Defense Department at the outset of the Korean War. Since retiring, Mattis has served on multiple corporate boards, including U.S. defense giant General Dynamics Corp. and embattled blood-testing company Theranos Inc.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 12, 2017 12:00 UTC