Donald Trump picks outspoken Lt Gen McMaster as new national security advisor

“He is highly respected by everybody in the military and we’re very honoured to have him”, Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach where he spent the weekend. “We’ll be asking him to work with us in a somewhat different capacity”, Trump said, without any further details.

Otherwise, to avoid Senate confirmation the aide said McMaster “could serve as National Security Adviser in his permanent rank of major general [2-star], or retire”. He was tapped for National Security Adviser over several other finalists for the position, including John Bolton, the hawkish Ambassador to the United Nations under George W. Bush who also served in senior positions in the administrations of George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.

The post was vacated after it was revealed that Donald Trump’s first pick, Michael Flynn, allegedly misled the vice president by his failure to report his conversation with Russian ambassador to the US, Sergey Kislyak. Put simply: “McMaster isn’t a political guy, unlike other officers who are trying to jockey for position and move up in their careers.” .

Part of the sweeping proposals, which came a little over a month after Trump entered the Oval Office, were fueled by now-ousted McMaster predecessor Michael Flynn.

McMaster, 54, is a well-known military strategist who authored a book that criticized US decision-making during the Vietnam War.

After serving less than a month as National Security Adviser, Michael Flynn resigned February 13 after being accused of contacting the Russian ambassador prior to the inauguration and misleading Vice President Mike Pence on the subject of the conversation, according to CNN. Some of the counterinsurgency tactics he pioneered formed the backbone of the 2007 “surge” of additional American forces for the Iraq war effort, stabilizing the country and tamping down increasing violence. He is the director of the Army Capabilities Integration Center, a sort of military think tank, at Fort Eustis, Virginia.

Defense Secretary McNamara, says McMaster, “would dominate the [Vietnam] policy-making process because of three mutually reinforcing factors: the Chiefs’ ineffectiveness as an advisory group, Johnson’s profound insecurity, and the president’s related unwillingness to entertain divergent views on the subject of Vietnam….”

As McMaster settles into his new role as one of the president’s key advisers on national security issues, here’s what you need to know about him.

McMaster was named to Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in 2014. Several members of Congress have also expressed their contentment in McMaster’s appointment.

Finally, he’s no ally of Russian Federation, which is likely comforting to those with suspicions about Trump’s connections to the country.

An Army general with ties to the Columbus area will now be on President Trump’s team.