Trump names another army general, Herbert McMaster, as his national security adviser

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Lieutenant General Herbert Raymond McMaster would be his new national security adviser, again turning to the US military to play a central role on his foreign policy team.

Trump also named Keith Kellogg, a retired US Army General who has been serving as the acting national security adviser, as chief of staff to the National Security Council. Speaking to reporters in West Palm Beach where he spent the weekend, Trump said John Bolton, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, would serve the administration in another capacity.

McMaster is a highly regarded military tactician and strategic thinker, but his selection surprised some observers who wondered how McMaster, who is known for questioning authority, would deal with a White House that has not welcomed criticism.

He replaces a Trump loyalist. Michael Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, was fired as national security adviser on February 13 after reports emerged that he had misled Vice President Mike Pence about speaking to Russia’s ambassador about US sanctions before Trump’s inauguration.

The ouster, coming so early in Trump’s administration, was another upset for a White House that has been hit by miscues, including the controversial roll out of a travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, since the Republican president took office on January 20.