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McMaster out, Bolton in as national security adviser

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said Thursday said that he was naming former ambassador John Bolton, a Fox News commentator and conservative firebrand, as his new national security adviser, replacing Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

The president announced the news in a tweet: "I am pleased to announce that, effective 4/9/18, @AmbJohnBolton will be my new National Security Advisor. I am very thankful for the service of General H.R. McMaster who has done an outstanding job & will always remain my friend. There will be an official contact handover on 4/9.

McMaster came to the Trump administration with an highly accomplished combat record in Iraq and a reputation as one of the Army's best thinkers on the subject of battling insurgents and the future of war.

His 1997 book, "Dereliction of Duty," was harshly critical of the military's top brass for passively backing a strategy in Vietnam, advanced by the White House, that they knew would not lead to victory. As national security adviser, however, McMaster never forged the kind of bond that would allow him to speak honestly to the president.

At times, Trump, who complained that McMaster was stubborn, didactic and long winded, seemed to tune out the active duty general.

In Bolton Trump has chosen a frequently combative personality who fits more with his style, but it's not clear how the White House staff will react to their new boss.

McMaster is credited with improving morale and bringing order to the National Security Council following the forced departure of his predecessor, Michael Flynn, early last year. McMaster's vision for the NSC was that of an honest broker, teeing up options for the president and mediating disputes among the various cabinet secretaries.

But at the NSC, McMaster often struggled to steer the foreign policy debate. He lacked the backing of Trump and had a tense relationship with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Efforts to push Mattis to produce military options that Trump had requested for Iran and North Korea often went unanswered from the Pentagon.

McMaster's biggest win - and area of greatest influence - was the war in Afghanistan, where he convinced the president to nearly double the size of the force to 15,000 troops. But Trump, who said he went against his own instincts when he approved the surge, never seemed to buy into the new strategy and resented McMaster for pushing it on him, U.S. officials said.

FILE - In this March 16, 2018, file photo. National security adviser H.R. McMaster waves as he walks into the West Wing of the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump announced on Twitter on March 22, 2018, that McMaster is being replaced by former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
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