Mattis to Troops in Jordan: 'Hold the Line' Until US Less Divided

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Saturday told troops to "hold the line" until the United States is less divided, according to a video released on a Facebook page titled, "U.S. Army W.T.F! Moments."

"Just hold the line until our country gets back to understanding and respecting each other," Mattis says in the video, filmed in Jordan.

"You're a great example for our country right now and it's got problems," he continued. "You know it and I know it. It's got problems we don't have in the military. And you just hold the line, my fine soldiers, and sailors and airmen and Marines."

President Donald Trump's policies have brought "dramatic gains" against ISIS in the last six months, according to top State Department official Brett McGurk. Mattis was in Turkey, Ukraine and Jordan last week to visit with top foreign officials and "to collaborate efforts to advance regional stability, and look for ways to help Turkey address its legitimate security concerns," the Pentagon said in a statement.

Mattis' speech was an impromptu motivational speech.

"Believe me, I know you're far from home, every one of you. I know you all should be going to college, you young people or you could be back on the block. I'm grateful. And the only way this great big experiment you and I call America is gonna survive is we got tough hombres like you, he says.

• Mattis Promises Support, but No Weapons to Ukraine
• Fate of Transgender Already in Military Unclear under Order