Trump Chooses H.R. McMaster as National Security Adviser

[fountainofyouth]

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 Russia’s 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]

1. Keeps McFarland. Active military...really can't say no. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

48. Easier for McMaster to ignore McFarland than for tRump/Bannon to ignore McMaster. . . . nt

[TygrBright]

2. He comes in with a big chunk of leverage, and he knows how to use it.

He doesn't even have to *explicitly* threaten to resign. Just imply that it remains on the table.

interestedly,
Bright

[exboyfil]

7. Would he be willing to give up his commission?

He has far less flexibility than a civilian.

It would make quite a statement if he did retire.

[TygrBright]

11. From what I've heard military scholars and observers say, yep. This guy would do it.

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]

12. Since the position of National Security Advisor is a civilian position he would have...

... give up his commission.


His future identification would be something like

Herbert Raymond McMaster National Security Advisor. Lt. Gen US Army (Retired)

[GP6971]

27. All General and Admirals

are subject to recall so he would retire versus resigning his commission.

[nycbos]

31. Thanks for the info

[Shrek]

52. Is that true?

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]

53. I stand corrected

[elleng]

3. 'General McMaster is seen as one of the Armys leading intellectuals,

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. Bush’s administration went to war in Iraq.'

[Buckeyeblue]

9. Then he won't mesh with anti- intellectual 45.

[dhol82]

4. Been listening on MSNBC.

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]

13. This should be very interesting

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]

18. At least he is known as a straight up, intelligent guy who doesn't like yes-men

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]

41. If Trump was a good leader, he'd surround himself with people who werent yes-men.

As most good leaders do.
Thats why this pick is surprising. because it looks like a good one

[PatSeg]

46. Very surprising

When Trump does something right, I tend to think it is accidental.

[dhol82]

50. Always.

He has no sense of reality and is easily swayed.

[PatSeg]

45. Trump is not going to be happy with him at all

I'm glad there is someone sane advising him, but can't help but worry that Bannon will be the dominant voice.

[nycbos]

32. I am sure he is prepared.

Hopefully he can limit the damage Trump can do if he is the sane rational voice around him.

[PatSeg]

47. I certainly hope so

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]

17. How did they get Trump to choose him?

He sounds highly qualified, I wonder how Trump/Bannon were convinced to select him?

[dhol82]

20. Yeah, would love to know who the quasi-sane voice belonged to?

[mopinko]

24. i'd guess prebus.

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]

25. Bannon

I'm amazed Bannon approved it!

[mopinko]

26. shows how panicked they are.

[dhol82]

29. It's too rational for Bannon

Remember he wants to destroy the government.

[mopinko]

30. yeah, but he doesnt want to destroy his presidency.

things are getting pretty hot in there.

[dhol82]

39. Point

[dhol82]

28. Sounds like a reasonable guess

Just don't believe that he could get it past Bannon.
Curiouser and curiouser.

[exboyfil]

5. I don't know about bureaucratic

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]

6. What do we know about him?

Couldn't find much online beyond a wiki page.

[fountainofyouth]

8. He's a philosopher general

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]

19. He runs the Capabilities Integration Center, a think tank

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]

23. My apologies, guess it's been a couple of years since I heard about McMaster

[jmowreader]

34. It appears they built the Capabilities Integration Center around him

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]

42. "REMF"....been awhile since I've heard that one!! nt

[Leghorn21]

49. From last June:

Submitted by Patriuck Tucker via DefenseOne.com

snip 

When Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster briefs, it’s like Gen. Patton giving a TED talk — a domineering physical presence with bristling intellectual intensity.

These days, the charismatic director of the Army’s 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 Russia’s 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 “you’re probably going to have a close fight… Increasingly, close combat overmatch is an area we’ve neglected, because we’ve taken it for granted.”

much more at:
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-06-26/how-pentagon-preparing-tank-war-russia

[bucolic_frolic]

10. Is someone beginning to understand

they are way out on the fringe of sanity with cabinet picks as well as policy?

[keithbvadu2]

14. Did Petraeus refuse the job partly because he did not want McMaster placed in his staff?

[KeepItReal]

15. David Frum (yeah that guy) said it best so far on MSNBC:

"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]

51. The one absolute strike against him.

Willing to take the job and work for the Corrupt One.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. He is from Philadelphia

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]

21. on CNN they said he had to take the job

Because he is currently serving he can't turn it down.

[TomCADem]

35. Yep. He Really Has No Choice As An Active Member of the Military.

nt

[Lurks Often]

36. The talking head on CNN who said that is a clueless idiot.

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]

37. but what if he didn't want to retire ?

[Lurks Often]

38. It has nothing to do with the NSA position, military retirement can be tricky

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]

40. I'll add a follow up to my previous answer

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]

43. Well,CNN is full of it.

He could retire and go home at the very least

[Scruffy1]

22. I think 45's masters are pulling the choke chain.

It was probably an "or else" call from up above.

[KewlKat]

33. now will McMaster's boot banhim's ass from the team?

[Kingofalldems]

44. He'll be marched out of the White House sooner than later.