That tightrope act between moderation and bombast seems to have worked so far. Trump referred to Mattis as “our great military genius-slash-person” in December. And the defense secretary earned a laudatory presidential tweet when he said it would be “game on” if North Korea fires missiles at the U.S.

In at least one way, Mattis has had a simpler job than any of his counterparts did: he oversees a department whose success Trump holds paramount and whose budget he has long sought to increase.

Unlike Tillerson, Mattis also seems to have earned the right to steer his department as he sees fit. On foreign policy, Trump once said “I’m the only one that matters.” He’s made no such claim when it comes to military issues, seeming to treat the military brass as a breed apart. Trump early on moved to give his generals in the field — from Afghanistan to Syria — more direct authority over combat decisions.