H. R. McMaster
Encyclopedia
Herbert Raymond McMaster (born 1962) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 soldier, and a career officer in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

. McMaster is currently the Director of CJIATF-Shafafiyat (Transparency) at ISAF (International Security Assistance Forces) Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is known for his role in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

, the Iraq War, and his reputation for questioning U.S. policy and military leaders regarding the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

.
He is currently a research fellow at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...

's Hoover Institution
Hoover Institution
The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace is a public policy think tank and library founded in 1919 by then future U.S. president, Herbert Hoover, an early alumnus of Stanford....

.

Military career

McMaster graduated from Valley Forge Military Academy in 1980, where he served as a Company Commander, with the rank of cadet captain, and from West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...

 in 1984. He played rugby for USMA. His first assignment after commissioning was to the Second Armored Division
U.S. 2nd Armored Division
The 2nd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. The division played an important role during World War II in the invasions of North Africa and Sicily and the liberation of France, Belgium, and Holland and the invasion of Germany...

 at Fort Hood, where he served in a variety of platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...

 and company
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...

 level leadership assignments with 1st Bn, 66th Armor Regiment. In 1989, McMaster was assigned to the 2nd ACR at Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany
Warner Barracks in Bamberg, Germany
Warner Barracks are a military base of the United States Army in the city of Bamberg, southern Germany. The base has been occupied by American forces since the end of World War II. Elements of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Infantry Division and 45th Infantry Division entered the town on 13 and 14 April 1945...

, where he served until 1992, including the deployment to Operation Desert Storm.

In 1991, he was a captain commanding Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment
U.S. 2nd Cavalry Regiment
The 2nd Cavalry Regiment , also known as the Second Dragoons, is an active mechanized infantry and cavalry regiment of the United States Army. The Second Dragoons is a component of V Corps and United States Army Europe, with its garrison at the Rose Barracks in Vilseck, Germany...

 at the Battle of 73 Easting
Battle of 73 Easting
The Battle of 73 Easting was a decisive tank battle fought on 26 February 1991, during the Gulf War, between American-British armored forces and those of the Iraqi Republican Guard. The battle took place several hours after the Battle of Al Busayyah...

 in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. During that battle, though significantly outnumbered and encountering the enemy by surprise, the nine tanks of Eagle Troop engaged and destroyed over eighty Iraqi Republican Guard
Iraqi Republican Guard
The Iraqi Republican Guard was a branch of the Iraqi military during the presidency of Saddam Hussein. It later became the Republican Guard Corps, and then the Republican Guard Forces Command with its expansion into two corps....

 tanks and other vehicles without loss.

McMaster was awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....

 for his leadership in that battle. The battle features in several books about Desert Storm and is widely referred to in the US army's training exercies. It also receives coverage in Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...

's 1994 popular non-fiction book Armored Cav. McMaster served as a military history professor at West Point from 1994–1996, teaching, among other things, the battles in which he actually fought.

He holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in American History from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...

, with a thesis
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...

 criticizing American strategy in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...

 and detailed in his 1998 book Dereliction of Duty
Dereliction of Duty (1998 book)
Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam is a book written by Brigadier General H.R. McMaster that explores the military's role in the policies of the Vietnam War. The book was written as part of McMaster's Ph.D. thesis at...

. It harshly criticizes high-ranking officers of that era, charging they inadequately challenged Defense Secretary Robert McNamara
Robert McNamara
Robert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968, during which time he played a large role in escalating the United States involvement in the Vietnam War...

 and President Lyndon Johnson's military strategy. The book was widely read in Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...

 circles and is listed on the official reading list of the Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

.

From 1999 to 2002, McMaster commanded 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, and then took a series of staff positions at U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM)
United States Central Command
The United States Central Command is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense...

, including planning and operations roles in Iraq.

In his next job, as lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...

 and later full colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

, McMaster worked on the staff of U.S. Central Command, USCENTCOM. Specifically, he was executive officer to then Deputy Commander Lieutenant General John Abizaid
John Abizaid
John Philip Abizaid, AO is a retired General in the United States Army and former Commander of the United States Central Command , overseeing American military operations in a 27-country region, from the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, to South and Central Asia, covering much of the Middle...

. As the general received four-star rank and became Central Command's head, McMaster gained his colonelcy and served as Abizaid's Director, Commander's Advisory Group (CAG), described as the command's brain trust
Brain Trust
Brain trust began as a term for a group of close advisors to a political candidate or incumbent, prized for their expertise in particular fields. The term is most associated with the group of advisors to Franklin Roosevelt during his presidential administration...

. After McMaster's departure from the headquarters, he retained "open-door" access with Abizaid and met with him more than a dozen times in the ensuing four years.

In 2004, he was assigned to command the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (3rd ACR). Shortly after McMaster took command, the regiment deployed for its second tour in Iraq in early 2005, and was assigned in May the mission of securing the Iraqi city of Tal Afar
Tal Afar
Tal Afar is a city and district in northwestern Iraq in the Ninawa Governorate located approximately 30 miles west of Mosul and 120 miles north west of Kirkuk.While no official census data exists, the city which had been...

. That mission culminated in September when they conducted Operation Restoring Rights and defeated the city's insurgent strongholds. President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 praised this success, the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 show Frontline
Frontline (TV series)
FRONTLINE is a public affairs television program that produces and broadcasts in-depth documentaries about various subjects. Produced at WGBH-TV in Boston, Massachusetts and distributed through the Public Broadcasting Service in the United States, the program has been critically acclaimed and...

 broadcast a documentary in February 2006 featuring interviews with McMaster on his personal experiences there, CBS' 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....

 news magazine produced a similar, shorter segment in July 2006, and the operation was the subject of an article in the 10 April 2006 issue of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...

.
For author Tim Harford
Tim Harford
Tim Harford is an English economist and journalist, residing in London. He is the author of four economics books, presenter of BBC television series Trust Me, I'm an Economist, and writer of a humorous weekly column called "Dear Economist" for The Financial Times, in which he uses economic theory...

, the pioneering tactics employed by the Colonel led to the US armies first success in overcoming the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...

. Orders from high command were to stay out of dangerous urban areas except on patrols, with US forces otherwise camping in virtually impregnable out of town bases
Forward Operating Base
A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...

. The patrols had little success in turning back insurgency as militants could simply drop or stash their weapons and melt into crowd. Locals would very rarely assist in identifying them to the US forces. Colonel McMaster worked out this was as locals feared being killed in revenge attacks once the US patrols had withdrawn. So the Colonel deployed his men into Tal Afar on a lasting basis and once the locals grew confident that they weren't going to withdraw they began advising who the insurgents were, making it easy for US forces to target them.

McMaster passed command of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment on 29 June 2006 and joined the International Institute for Strategic Studies
International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. It describes itself as "the world’s leading authority on political-military conflict"...

 in London, as a Senior Research Associate with a mandate described as "conduct[ing] research to identify opportunities for improved multi-national cooperation and political-military integration in the areas of counterinsurgency, counter-terrorism, and state building", and to devise "better tactics to battle terrorism."

From August 2007 to August 2008, McMaster was part of an "elite team of officers advising US commander" General David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...

 on counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. Petreaus and most of his team were stationed in Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...

 at the time, but McMaster collaborated remotely; according to senior team member John Nagl
John Nagl
John A. Nagl is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army who is regarded as an influential expert in counterinsurgency....

 he was "Wikipedia -ing" their counter -insurgency document.

In August 2008 he assumed duties as Director, Concept Development and Experimentation (later renamed Concept Development and Learning), in the Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC)
U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center
The United States Army Capabilities Integration Center is a U.S. Army agency tasked with integrating "warfighting capabilities into the force and among the military services and with other agencies" to include materiel, systems, training, and doctrine. ARCIC has a lead role in the integration of...

 at Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...

, VA, part of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
Established 1 July 1973, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command is an army command of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Eustis, Virginia. It is charged with overseeing training of Army forces, the development of operational doctrine, and the development and procurement of...

. In this position McMaster was involved, as one of his duties, in helping to prepare doctrine to guide the U.S. Army over the next ten to twenty years. On July 15, 2008 an announcement was made of his nomination for promotion to Brigadier General and McMaster was promoted in 2009.

In July 2010 Brigadier General McMaster was selected to be the J-5, Deputy to the Commander for Planning, at ISAF (International Security Assistance Forces) Headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan. Additionally, General McMaster directs a joint anti-corruption task force (CJIATF-Shafafiyat) at ISAF Headquarters.

Promotion controversy

McMaster was passed over for promotion to brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...

 twice in a row, in 2006 and 2007. As one of "the most celebrated soldier of the Iraq War", this decision was controversial among the public. "The reasoning was possibly his tendency to speak out against the status quo, although it is always for the benefit of the mission and his soldiers."

The US Army released the next list on 15 July 2008, and McMaster was among the officers nominated for promotion to brigadier general. General Petreaus returned briefly from Iraq to take charge of the promotion board and it is generally believed that Petreaus's presence ensured McMaster's selection.
McMaster was promoted on 29 June 2009.

The promotion issue re-surfaced in 2011, when he was not selected for major general with his peers despite being called "probably our best Brigadier General" by Army Chief of Staff General Martin Dempsey
Martin Dempsey
General Martin E. Dempsey, USA is the 18th and current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He previously served 149 days as the 37th Chief of Staff of the Army from April 11, 2011 to September 7, 2011. Prior to that, he served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command from...

 during confirmation hearing testimony.

Decorations and badges

{| width="100%"
|valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor = "#ccccff" align=center
| colspan=2 |U.S. military decorations
|-
|

|Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....


|-
|

|Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...


|-
|

|Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...

 (with Oak leaf cluster
Oak leaf cluster
An oak leaf cluster is a common device which is placed on U.S. Army and Air Force awards and decorations to denote those who have received more than one bestowal of a particular decoration. The number of oak leaf clusters typically indicates the number of subsequent awards of the decoration...

)
|-
|

|Purple Heart
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...


|-
|- bgcolor = "#ccccff" align=center
| colspan=2 |U.S. unit awards
|-
|- bgcolor = "#ccccff" align=center
| colspan=2 |U.S. service (campaign) medals and service and training ribbons
|-
|

|National Defense Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...


|-
|

|Southwest Asia Service Medal
Southwest Asia Service Medal
The Southwest Asia Service Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by order of President George H.W. Bush on March 12, 1991. The award is intended to recognize those military service members who performed duty during the years of the Persian Gulf War...



Afghanistan Campaign Medal
|-
|

|Iraq Campaign Medal
Iraq Campaign Medal
The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry....


Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
The Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal is a United States armed forces military award created by George W. Bush on March 12, 2003 by Executive Order 13289. It recognizes those military service members who have deployed overseas in direct service to the War on Terror from September 11,...


|-
|

|Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003...


|-
|

|Army Service Ribbon
Army Service Ribbon
The Army Service Ribbon is a military decoration of the United States Army that was established by the Secretary of the Army on 10 April 1981 as announced in Department of the Army General Order 15, dated 10 October 1990....


|-
|

|Army Overseas Service Ribbon
|}
{| width="100%"
|valign="top" |
{| class="wikitable"
|- bgcolor = "#ccccff" align=center
| colspan=2 |U.S. badges, patches and tabs
|-
| align=center |
|Parachutist Badge
Parachutist Badge (United States)
The Parachutist Badge, also commonly referred to as "Jump Wings" or "Snow Cone", is a military badge of the United States Armed Forces awarded to members of the United States Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy...


|-
| align=center |
|Ranger Tab
Ranger Tab
The Ranger Tab is a service school military decoration of the United States Army signifying completion of the 61-day long Ranger School course in small-unit infantry combat tactics in woodland, mountain, and swamp operations. In December 2009 a British NCO earned the Ranger tab...


|-
| align=center |
|2nd Cavalry Regiment Patch (right arm) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia - Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS)
|-
| align=center |
|3d Armored Cavalry Regiment Patch (right arm) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia - Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS)
|-
| align=center |
|Multi-National Force - Iraq Patch (right arm) Shoulder Sleeve Insignia - Former War Time Service (SSI-FWTS)
|-
| align=center |
|United States Forces - Afghanistan Patch (left arm)
|-
|- bgcolor = "#ccccff" align=center
| colspan=2 |U.S. orders
|-
| align=center |
|Order of the Spur
Order of the Spur
The Order of the Spur is a Cavalry tradition within the United States Army. Soldiers serving with Cavalry units are inducted into the Order of the Spur after successfully completing a "Spur Ride" or for having served during combat as a member of a Cavalry unit...

 Cavalry Hat
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...

 and Spurs (Gold)
Spurs
Spurs are tools worn on the heel of a boot, used when riding horses.Spurs can also refer to:* The Chancellor's Spurs, a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the college football game between Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin...


|}

External Links

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