Trump names McMaster to replace ousted advisor

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - President Donald Trump on Monday tapped famed Army strategist, Gen. H.R. McMaster, to be his national security advisor after the abrupt ouster of Michael Flynn.

Announcing his decision at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, Trump called McMaster "a man of tremendous talent and tremendous experience.

"He is highly respected by everyone in the military and we’re very honored to have him," Trump told reporters.

Trump said retired Army Gen. Keith Kellogg would serve as McMaster's chief of staff.

"I think that combination is something very, very special," he said, noting that Washington's former ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, will serve in another unspecified capacity.

All three men were reportedly in the final stages of consideration for the post before Trump ultimately landed on McMaster.

The announcement comes roughly a week after Flynn left the administration in disgrace following disclosures he misled senior officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, about his contacts with Russia's envoy to Washington.

In brief remarks, McMaster called the appointment a “privilege" and said he looks “forward to joining the national security team and doing everything that I can to advance and protect the interests of the American people”.

Nicknamed "the iconoclast general" McMaster is a highly-decorated career officer who has served in the Army for more than three decades.

His appointment is not subject to Senate confirmation.