Donald Trump has already found his replacement for Michael Flynn the now ex-National Security Advisor who was forced out of the job due to calls he made with a Russian Ambassador before Trump was sworn in.
According to the Washington Examiner, the person who will replace Michael Flynn is retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward. Harward worked under Defense Secretary James Mattis when Harward was deputy commander of CENTCOM from 2011 to 2013.
He also served on the National Security Council for President George W. Bush and commissioned the National Counter Terrorism Center following on from 9/11.
Via the Washington Examiner:
Harward enlisted in the Navy out of high school, got a fleet appointment to Annapolis, rose through the ranks to become a Navy SEAL, and ultimately became that community’s top commander. He retired in 2013 after serving as the three-star deputy to then-Gen. Jim Mattis at U.S. Central Command, who is now the defense secretary.
A source close to Mattis told the Washington Examiner that Harward was already being considered to be undersecretary of defense for intelligence, confirming the view that Mattis is likely leaning toward the retired SEAL…
…And having graduated from Tehran American High School in Iran, Harward speaks Farsi as well. His varied career, stellar military record and close friendship with Mattis, all combine to make Harward an unusually strong candidate.
Fox News reported that White House sources had described Harward to them as the “toughest guy in the SEALs” and a “real rock.” A senior administration official also added that if Howard is the choice to replace Flynn, he could be in place by the end of the week.
Although Howard is the leading choice there are other names that had been floating around including Lt. Gen. Joseph Keith Kellogg and Gen. David Petraeus.
However there were serious questions that had been raised surrounding a possible Petraeus pick. As it would give Trump’s critics ammunition to cry hypocrisy,given Trump’s frequent lambasting of Clinton’s classification issues.
According to the Washington Examiner though, Bush’s former national security adviser Stephen Hadley is pretty much guaranteed the job.
(Source – washingtonpost.com)
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