Generals H.R. McMaster, Jim Mattis, And John Kelly. New York Times
New York Times: 3 Generals Bound by Iraq Will Guide Trump on Security
WASHINGTON — At one point or another, they each strode the sands of Iraq, fighting on the unforgiving battlefield of America’s costliest war since Vietnam. Now all three will sit around the table in the White House Situation Room, steering a new president through the treacherous crosscurrents of a stormy world.
President Trump’s appointment of H. R. McMaster, an Army lieutenant general, as his new national security adviser creates a powerful troika of senior officers who served in Iraq, teaming him up with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and John F. Kelly, the secretary of homeland security, both retired four-star Marine generals. This administration is the first to have all three security jobs filled by senior military veterans at the same time.
The ascension of the three generals to political jobs at the National Security Council reflects the rise of a generation of military leaders that came of age during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that began after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Each officer saw up close what a losing war looked like and took away lessons about how to avoid repeating fatal mistakes. Each got to where he is today in part by bucking the military hierarchy.
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Update #1: Trio of military men gain growing influence with Trump (AP)
Update #2: Trump's Three Generals (Power Line)
Update #3: For Trump, Generals Are Everywhere (Tom Engelhardt, Huffington Post)
WNU Editor: I would also add Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford to this mix of Generals advising President Trump on national security issues. I will admit that I am surprised by President Trump's selection of these men. I expected someone with an intel background to have been selected, as well as someone with a lot of experience in foreign policy. But no .... this is a national security team with a Pentagon view of the world.
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