Donald Trump names former ambassador John Bolton as new national security advisor

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said that he would appoint former ambassador John Bolton as his new national security adviser, replacing Lt General HR McMaster.

Trump announced the news in a tweet, saying that Bolton would take the job starting April 9, making him Trump’s third national security adviser in the first 14 months of his presidency. In dismissing McMaster from the job, Trump praised the Army general for his “outstanding job” and said he would “always remain my friend.”

Despite the US President's admiration for McMaster, the two never seemed to draw a consensus on most security-related matters and often seemed at odds on matters of policy related to Iran and North Korea.

The appointment of Bolton, which doesn’t require Senate confirmation, could lead to major changes in the administration’s approach to crises around the world.

McMaster came to the Trump administration with a highly accomplished combat record in Iraq and a reputation as one of the Army’s best strategist 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.