Here Are Two Key Men Shaping U.S. - Russian Relations

Gen. McMaster is U.S. national security adviser. KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS

Gen. Gerasimov is chief of the general staff of the Russian Armed Forces and first deputy defense minister. BOBYLEV SERGEI/TASS/ZUMA PRESS

Wall Street Journal: The New Cold War Pits a U.S. General Against His Longtime Russian Nemesis

It’s Trump’s national security adviser H.R. McMaster vs. Putin ally Valery Gerasimov

A quarter-century after the Cold War ended, U.S. and Russian tank formations are once again squaring off.

This spring, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization moved armored forces to the Russian border, where they are conducting daily drills from Poland to Estonia. Less than 100 miles away, Moscow’s forces are preparing for large-scale maneuvers in the autumn, a demonstration of the country’s revitalized might, including new equipment and improved tactics meant to keep the West guessing in the event of a clash.

Facing off behind these front lines and shaping each side’s grand strategy are two of this generation’s most influential officers in Washington and Moscow: U.S. Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster and Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

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WNU Editor: There are many people involved in planning besides these two. In the end .... like the Cold War .... today's tensions are primarily a political conflict, and it is the politicians who will set the tempo and strategy on where this will eventually go. In the meantime, the war drills continue .... Military Games: Russia and US Are Holding More War Drills In Europe (Newsweek).