Retired Marine general and U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis is no stranger to strong talk (and strong actions) but, as The Daily Caller's Justin Caruso reports, 'Mad-dog' put America’s enemies on notice while speaking before the House Armed Services Committee this week...

“If you threaten us, it will be your longest and worst day.”

“Our first line of effort emphasizes that everything we do must contribute to the lethality of our military,” Secretary Mattis stated. “In war, an enemy will attack a perceived weakness. Therefore, we cannot adopt a single pre set of warfare. If deterrence fails, we must win.” “To defend our way of life, our military will embrace change while holding fast to traditional proven attributes that make us the most formidable force on any battlefield. Those who would threaten America’s experiment in democracy must know if you threaten us, it will be your longest and worst day." “We will prioritize rebuilding readiness while modernizing our existing force,” he continued. “We will also be changing our force’s posture to prioritize readiness for war fighting and major combat, making us strategic predictable for our allies and operationally unpredictable for any adversary.”

Of course this is not the first time Mattis has been so quotable, as we noted in the past...

“I don’t have concerns. I create them”

The quote follows in a long tradition of magnificent Mattis quotes, including his answer to what keeps him awake at night:

“Nothing. I Keep Other People Awake At Night.”

And these classics: