Mattis rejoins General Dynamics board

General Dynamics has appointed former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis to its board of directors, the defense company said Wednesday.

This is a return for Mattis as he served on the GD board from August 2013 to January 2017, when he stepped down to become President Trump’s first defense secretary.

He resigned as secretary in December 2018 after clashing with Trump on multiple issues, the last being Trump’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.

Mattis also notably had a 43-year Marine Corps career which ended with his retirement in 2013. The retired general held major command assignments including the U.S. Joint Forces Command and NATO supreme allied commander for transformation. At U.S. Central Command, he directed military operations across the Middle East.