Politics Who Is H.R. McMaster? 8 Things to Know About Trump's National Security Adviser

Donald Trump has named Lieutenant General Herbert Raymond “H.R.” McMaster as his national security adviser. He announced his decision to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. Trump called McMaster "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience." McMaster will replace Michael Flynn, who was asked to resign after admitting he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about his phone calls with a Russian diplomat.

Here's what you need to know about him:

1. He went to West Point.
McMaster is a 1984 graduate of the prestigious and highly competitive United States Military Academy at West Point. When he was in school, he was on the rugby team.

2. He's a career Army man.
The 54-year-old McMcaster is a career Army officer who is still serving. He served in the Persian Gulf War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is the director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center and Deputy Commanding General, Futures at U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command.

3. He's considered a war hero.
During the Gulf War in 1991, McMaster was a captain commanding Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment at the Battle of 73 Easting. During that battle, he and his team were significantly outnumbered when they encountered the enemy by surprise. His lead tank and nine other tanks of Eagle Troop destroyed over eighty Iraqi Republican Guard tanks and other vehicles without loss, largely because the American tanks were higher quality. For his actions, he was awarded the Silver Star, and taught the battle as a military history professor at his alma mater, West Point, from 1994 to 1996. (And, fun fact, his success during the battle was included in the Tom Clancy nonfiction novel, Armored Cav.)

4. He helped to pacify the city of Tal Afar in 2005.
In Iraq, McMaster was commander of the unit that brought order to Tal Afar. He used classic counterinsurgency methods —"clear, hold, and build"— that would later be adopted by General Petraeus.

5. He's married with three daughters.
McMaster married Kathleen Trotter in 1985, and together they have three daughters, Katharine, Colleen, and Caragh.

6. He wrote a book criticizing the military officers and strategy in the Vietnam War.
For his Ph.D. thesis at the University of North Carolina, McMaster wrote Dereliction of Duty, which criticized the military officers of the Vietnam War era for not challenging President Lyndon B. Johnson and Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara over their Vietnam strategies. It was published in 1997 and today it's on the Marine Corps. reading list as suggested reading for a colonel or general.

7. He's known for standing up for his beliefs.
In 2006 and 2007, McMaster was surprisingly passed over for promotion to Brigadier General. Although he had a reputation as one of "the most celebrated soldiers of the Iraq War," it is acknowledged that McMaster was passed over because of his habit of speaking up. In a July 14, 2014, interview with the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, the then the base commander, said: "Some people have a misunderstanding about the Army. Some people think, hey, you’re in the military and everything is super-hierarchical and you’re in an environment that is intolerable of criticism and people don’t want frank assessments. I think the opposite is the case ... And the commanders that I’ve worked for, they want frank assessments, they want criticism and feedback." McMaster was finally awarded his first star on his third and final try from General David Petraeus.

8. He's been on Time's list of 100 most influential people in the world.
In 2014, McMaster made Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world. In the article, he's called "the architect of the future U.S. Army," and retired Lt. Gen. Dave Barno, wrote, "Major General Herbert Raymond McMaster might be the 21st century Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker. Recently tapped for his third star, H.R. is also the rarest of soldiers—one who has repeatedly bucked the system and survived to join its senior ranks."

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politic...bout-donald-trumps-national-security-adviser/

 

Cosmopolitan is the new FOX.

 

This is a good choice. I can see him giving Trump and Bannon fits but that's good.

 

Certainly seems like a big step up from Flynn, at least from what we know now.

barfo

 

looks like a well qualified candidate ............But........... he is not a billionaire.

 

Yet.

 

Never served with him, but served in Kabul with two people who worked for him in Iraq. Some of their comments:

Now, both these folks were Army, so maybe they haven't interacted with the *smartest* people in society, but it's some anecdotal stuff from people I worked with.

 

That is good to hear. Hopefully he is allowed to hire additional adults to work with him.

barfo

 

We've got six billion foreigners to kill, plus 65 million Hillary voters. It's going to take someone with experience.

barfo

 

@jlprk for National Security Adviser!