Trump Chooses H.R. McMaster as National Security Adviser
Source: New York Times
President Trump picked Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, a widely respected military strategist, as his new national security adviser on Monday, calling him a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience.
Mr. Trump made the announcement at his Mar-a-Lago getaway in Palm Beach, Fla., where he has been interviewing candidates to replace Michael T. Flynn, who was forced out after withholding information from Vice President Mike Pence about a call with Russias ambassador.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/us/politics/mcmaster-national-security-adviser-trump.html
McMaster is a superb military strategist, but his job is going to be mostly bureaucratic.
Could have been much worse than this, though.
msanthrope
(37,549 posts)Bernardo de La Paz
(49,036 posts)TygrBright
(20,763 posts)He doesn't even have to *explicitly* threaten to resign. Just imply that it remains on the table.
interestedly,
Bright
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)He has far less flexibility than a civilian.
It would make quite a statement if he did retire.
TygrBright
(20,763 posts)If he had to.
That said, I'm guessing he won't have to. He may have been 'sold' to >Redacted<, but there probably wasn't much real choice about this one.
I think this is probably the beginning of the end for >Redacted<. They're installing the actual behind-the-scenes operators, when they have a few more we'll see the neo-Nazis and the more egregious wackjobs eased out, and >Redacted< will be a Potemkin Pres.
It's still not a good outcome, and I think they underestimate >Redacted<'s capacity to toss sand in the gears.
But it will lessen the immediate chaos and dumbfuckery.
speculatively,
Bright
nycbos
(6,038 posts)... give up his commission.
His future identification would be something like
Herbert Raymond McMaster National Security Advisor. Lt. Gen US Army (Retired)
GP6971
(31,205 posts)are subject to recall so he would retire versus resigning his commission.
nycbos
(6,038 posts)Shrek
(3,983 posts)Colin Powell served in that capacity while on active duty, didn't he?
He was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after that so I'm pretty sure he was on continuous active duty.
nycbos
(6,038 posts)elleng
(131,103 posts)first making a name for himself with a searing critique of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for their performance during the Vietnam War and later criticizing the way President George W. Bushs administration went to war in Iraq.'
Buckeyeblue
(5,501 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)Everybody seems to have a high regard for this guy. Sounds positive.
David Frum was really surprised by this pick and feels that, sadly, he will not fit in with this administration.
We will see what happens.
PatSeg
(47,586 posts)It is rather like being thrown into a snake pit. Though I'm sure McMaster is somewhat prepared for this administration, I have a feeling it is worse than he has imagined.
dhol82
(9,353 posts)Guess we'll see how long he lasts.
One of the panelists said that when push comes to shove, it's the nominee who goes, not the president.
7962
(11,841 posts)As most good leaders do.
Thats why this pick is surprising. because it looks like a good one
PatSeg
(47,586 posts)When Trump does something right, I tend to think it is accidental.
He has no sense of reality and is easily swayed.
PatSeg
(47,586 posts)I'm glad there is someone sane advising him, but can't help but worry that Bannon will be the dominant voice.
nycbos
(6,038 posts)Hopefully he can limit the damage Trump can do if he is the sane rational voice around him.
PatSeg
(47,586 posts)Trump doesn't particularly respond well to reason and I thought think someone like McMaster will coddle and stroke him like the rest of the gang.
get the red out
(13,468 posts)He sounds highly qualified, I wonder how Trump/Bannon were convinced to select him?
dhol82
(9,353 posts)mopinko
(70,208 posts)trying to make himself the grown up in the room, and prolly figured that another nutjob in that spot would be flushing the toilet. away they all go.
get the red out
(13,468 posts)I'm amazed Bannon approved it!
mopinko
(70,208 posts)dhol82
(9,353 posts)Remember he wants to destroy the government.
mopinko
(70,208 posts)things are getting pretty hot in there.
dhol82
(9,353 posts)Just don't believe that he could get it past Bannon.
Curiouser and curiouser.
exboyfil
(17,865 posts)Assuming Trump listens to him (which is a Grand Canyon sized assumption), he has the background to be an ideal NSAdviser.
Here is a paper on what they do. The meaningful quote for me is as follows:
Being an honest broker means running fair and transparent process for bringing issues to the President for decision.
Flynn would have been incapable of doing this. Also I like that McMaster is not close with Mattis unlike Harward. It is bad enough that both of these positions are occupied by active or recently retired military.
http://defense360.csis.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Scowcroft-Paper-1_Hadley_The-Roll-and-Importance-of-the-NSA.pdf
Shell_Seas
(3,335 posts)Couldn't find much online beyond a wiki page.
fountainofyouth
(409 posts)His current command is the Maneuver Center of Excellence, which works to improve Army warfare doctrine.
He's also known for his critique of the Joint Chiefs in the Vietnam era --Dereliction of Duty
jmowreader
(50,562 posts)His last job was running the Maneuver Center of Excellence, but don't get your hopes up: that fine organization is the combined Infantry School and Armor School. Some Madison Avenue REMF decided to rename the training bases to Centers of Excellence.
fountainofyouth
(409 posts)jmowreader
(50,562 posts)McMaster is a really sharp person. My question is, how long will he stay in the rolling barrage that is the Trump Administration before he decides, "to hell with ya, I'm out of here"?
7962
(11,841 posts)Leghorn21
(13,526 posts)Submitted by Patriuck Tucker via DefenseOne.com
snip
When Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster briefs, its like Gen. Patton giving a TED talk a domineering physical presence with bristling intellectual intensity.
These days, the charismatic director of the Armys Capabilities Integration Center is knee-deep in a project called The Russia New Generation Warfare study, an analysis of how Russia is re-inventing land warfare in the mud of Eastern Ukraine. Speaking recently at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., McMaster said that the two-year-old conflict had revealed that the Russians have superior artillery firepower, better combat vehicles, and have learned sophisticated use of UAVs for tactical effect. Should U.S. forces find themselves in a land war with Russia, he said, they would be in for a rude, cold awakening.
We spend a long time talking about winning long-range missile duels, said McMaster. But long-range missiles only get you through the front door. The question then becomes what will you do when you get there.
Look at the enemy countermeasures, he said, noting Russias use of nominally semi-professional forces who are capable of dispersion, concealment, intermingling with civilian populations
the ability to disrupt our network strike capability, precision navigation and timing capabilities. All of that means youre probably going to have a close fight
Increasingly, close combat overmatch is an area weve neglected, because weve taken it for granted.
much more at:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-26/how-pentagon-preparing-tank-war-russia
bucolic_frolic
(43,281 posts)they are way out on the fringe of sanity with cabinet picks as well as policy?
keithbvadu2
(36,906 posts)KeepItReal
(7,769 posts)"It's an absolutely baffling pick. McMaster is smart, competent, honest, patriotic, not compromised by a hostile foreign power...I don't know how he got the job."
yallerdawg
(16,104 posts)Willing to take the job and work for the Corrupt One.
BumRushDaShow
(129,441 posts)so our local news media are all over it here.
There is a lot out there on him. Here is one local thing from 2010 -
JI7
(89,264 posts)Because he is currently serving he can't turn it down.
TomCADem
(17,390 posts)nt
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)Last edited Mon Feb 20, 2017, 07:32 PM - Edit history (1)
Oops, the NSA position can be and has been held by a military officer in the past.
However I still think that McMaster can not be FORCED to take that role. If McMaster did not want to be NSA, he could retire.
McMaster has 32+ years of service, he can retire from the military whenever he wants and get his retirement pay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._R._McMaster
JI7
(89,264 posts)Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)when a person becomes a general officer:
1. Once an officer reaches age 62, under US law he has to retire
2. An officer is passed over for promotion twice*
3. If there are no positions available for his rank, meaning that as a Lt. General (3 stars), if another officer is promoted and assumes McMaster's current role, McMaster would either have to be given another command that requires a Lt General; promoted to General (4 star) and given a position that requires a General or he has to retire within 90 days.
There are other reasons, mostly due how they perform their jobs or health reasons, an officer (who is eligible for retirement) can be forced to retire, but the above are the big ones that apply to a general officer.
*Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_Officer_Personnel_Management_Act
Lurks Often
(5,455 posts)Officially a general can not be forced to retire (aside from the reasons in previous post), however unofficially, senior leadership, both military and civilian, can arrange things to follow a certain path that can force a general to retire.
Unofficially Wesley Clark is an example of a General who was forced out.
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Clark#Pristina_International_Airport_incident & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Clark#Retirement
My take on what happened is this: After Clark nearly got us into a shooting war with the Russians and caused significant political friction between the US DOD and the British Ministry of Defence, senior Army leaders and/or SecDef Cohen decided that Clark was too much of a loose cannon to be trusted with so important a position as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (which brings the position of US Commander European Command). To force Clark out they came up with the need to find General Joseph Ralston another 4 star general position. President Clinton, who was a supporter of Clark prior to the Pristina Airport incident, signed off on giving Ralston the position of SACEUR.
7962
(11,841 posts)He could retire and go home at the very least
Scruffy1
(3,256 posts)It was probably an "or else" call from up above.