Story highlights Trump told the audience at his Ohio rally that he would pick Mattis for the role

Trump is also planning to visit Iowa and Michigan

Washington (CNN) President-elect Donald Trump formally introduced his pick to lead the Defense Department Tuesday, as he brought his "thank you" tour to Fayetteville, North Carolina.

"In order to succeed in our defense policy, we must have the right person to lead in our Defense Department," he said, reading from a Teleprompter. "This is why I am proud to formally announce today my intention to nominate Gen. James "Mad Dog" Mattis as the next secretary of defense for the United States of America."

Trump appeared disciplined -- much unlike past campaign rallies when he broke from his talking points to makes news -- and stayed mostly on script during his rally.

He laid out his plan for the US military saying that instead of "racing to topple" foreign regimes that "that we know nothing about. That we shouldn't be involved with," his government will instead focus on "defeating terrorism and destroying ISIS."

"Any nation that shares these our goals will be our partner in this mission. We won't forget it," Trump went on to say. "We want to strengthen our friendships and seek out new friendships." He also pledged to build a stronger military and improve equipment.

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