he was promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. The Pentagon announced on May 31, 2006, that he was chosen to take command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, and all Marines assigned to the United States Central Command. (8) James N. Mattis relinquished command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force on November 5, 2007. Four days later, on November 9, 2007, he was promoted to four-star general to command United States Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), concurrently serving as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT). He transferred his role as SACT on September 9, 2009, while continuing to command JFCOM. (9) After a recommendation from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, James N. Mattis was formally nominated as commander of United States Central Command by President Barack Obama, effective July 21, 2010. (10) United States Central Command announced the resignation of James N. Mattis on April 27, 2012, and his retirement from the United States Marine Corps was finalized on June 1, 2013. (11) On December 1, 2016, President Donald Trump announced that he would nominate James N. Mattis for United States Secretary of Defense. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on January 20, 2017, and served until December 31, 2018. (12) James N. Mattis, prior to and since his retirement from the United States Marine Corps, has been awarded many awards and commendations, including— (A) the Center for National Policy Edmund S. Muskie Distinguished Public Service Award (2009)