At War with Ourselves

At War with Ourselves Plot Summary

Introduction

In February 2017, as the newly inaugurated Trump administration faced its first national security crisis, a decorated Army lieutenant general with a reputation for intellectual rigor and moral courage stepped into one of Washington's most challenging roles. H.R. McMaster, known for both battlefield heroics and scholarly critique of military leadership failures, would now serve as National Security Advisor to a president whose impulsive style and disregard for traditional processes presented unprecedented challenges. The appointment initially reassured many across the political spectrum who saw in McMaster a stabilizing force - a warrior-scholar who could bring strategic coherence to an administration already showing signs of chaos. What followed was a thirteen-month tenure that revealed the profound tensions between professional expertise and political leadership in American democracy. McMaster's journey through the Trump White House offers a remarkable case study in principled public service amid extraordinary turbulence. Through his experience, we witness the struggle to maintain institutional processes in the face of a disruptive leadership style, the challenge of crafting coherent strategy when long-standing assumptions are questioned, and the personal cost of standing for truth and duty when loyalty is prized above all else. His story illuminates not just a pivotal period in American foreign policy but timeless questions about leadership, integrity, and the delicate balance between serving the elected commander-in-chief and serving the nation's enduring interests.

Chapter 1: The Soldier-Scholar: From Battlefield to White House

Herbert Raymond McMaster's path to the White House began in Philadelphia, where he grew up in a military family that instilled in him a deep sense of duty and service. After graduating from West Point in 1984, McMaster quickly distinguished himself as an exceptional military leader. During the 1991 Gulf War, he led Eagle Troop of the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in what became known as the Battle of 73 Easting - a textbook tank battle where his outnumbered forces decisively defeated a much larger Iraqi Republican Guard unit without suffering a single casualty. This early battlefield success marked McMaster as a rising star, but it was his intellectual contributions that truly set him apart from his peers. While serving as an active-duty officer, McMaster earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of North Carolina. His dissertation, which later became the acclaimed book "Dereliction of Duty," delivered a searing critique of military leadership during the Vietnam War. The work argued that the Joint Chiefs of Staff had failed in their duty to provide honest, unvarnished advice to civilian leadership, instead acquiescing to policies they knew were flawed. This willingness to speak truth to power - even when uncomfortable - would become a defining characteristic of McMaster's career and a source of both admiration and friction during his time in the White House. Throughout the early 2000s, McMaster continued to blend military operations with intellectual leadership. In Iraq, he commanded the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Tal Afar, implementing innovative counterinsurgency tactics that emphasized understanding local culture and politics rather than relying solely on military force. His approach became a model for the broader counterinsurgency strategy later adopted throughout Iraq. Meanwhile, he wrote influential articles on military affairs and served in strategic planning roles at U.S. Central Command and the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. By 2017, McMaster had established himself as one of the most respected military leaders of his generation - a soldier who could both lead troops in combat and think deeply about strategy and policy. When President Trump selected him as National Security Advisor following Michael Flynn's resignation, the choice was widely praised across the political spectrum. McMaster represented competence, integrity, and stability at a time when the new administration was struggling to find its footing. However, the very qualities that made McMaster successful in the military - his intellectual rigor, his commitment to process, and his willingness to deliver unpleasant truths - would soon create tension with a president who prized loyalty and intuition over expertise and deliberation. McMaster approached his new role with characteristic thoroughness, reaching out to former National Security Advisors from both parties for guidance. He understood that the position required not just strategic thinking but political acumen and the ability to coordinate across government departments. What he could not fully anticipate was how dramatically the Trump White House would differ from previous administrations in its approach to decision-making, its internal power dynamics, and its relationship with traditional institutions of national security.

Chapter 2: Rebuilding the NSC: Restoring Order Amid Chaos

When McMaster arrived at the White House in February 2017, he inherited a National Security Council in disarray. His predecessor, Michael Flynn, had lasted just 24 days before resigning amid controversy over his contacts with Russian officials. The NSC staff was demoralized, processes were haphazard, and competing power centers within the administration were battling for control over foreign policy. McMaster's first challenge was not international crises but internal dysfunction - rebuilding an organization that could effectively coordinate national security policy across government departments while adapting to the unconventional style of President Trump. McMaster approached this challenge methodically, drawing on his military experience in organizational leadership. He conducted individual meetings with NSC staff members, assessing their expertise and commitment regardless of which administration had appointed them. This merit-based approach immediately distinguished him from those who viewed the NSC through a partisan lens. In his first all-hands meeting, McMaster emphasized that the organization would be "a place of competence and coordination rather than chaos," setting a tone of professionalism that resonated with career staff who had been unsettled by the tumultuous early weeks of the administration. The structural reforms McMaster implemented reflected his belief in orderly processes. He restored the traditional interagency committee system that had been disrupted during Flynn's brief tenure, establishing regular meetings of the Principals Committee (cabinet-level officials) and Deputies Committee (their seconds-in-command) to ensure thorough vetting of policy options before they reached the president. He created clear lines of responsibility among NSC directorates and developed standardized formats for policy documents to ensure consistency and clarity. These reforms brought a measure of predictability to national security decision-making, though they frequently collided with the president's preference for more improvisational approaches. Perhaps most controversially, McMaster moved to reverse some of his predecessor's most divisive decisions. He removed chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council Principals Committee, restoring the traditional composition that emphasized national security expertise over political considerations. He also revised a draft executive order on immigration that had caused confusion across government agencies, working to ensure that future directives would be properly coordinated before implementation. These actions earned McMaster respect from national security professionals but created tension with the White House's nationalist faction, which viewed him with increasing suspicion. The rebuilding process faced constant headwinds from the administration's competing power centers. Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law, had been given a broad foreign policy portfolio that sometimes overlapped with NSC responsibilities. Steve Bannon and his allies continued to advocate for their "America First" agenda through both formal and informal channels. Meanwhile, cabinet secretaries like Defense Secretary James Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sometimes operated independently, bypassing NSC coordination processes when it suited their purposes. McMaster had to navigate these complex dynamics while maintaining his focus on establishing effective structures for decision-making. Despite these challenges, McMaster achieved significant progress in his first months. The NSC began functioning more coherently, with regular policy reviews and coordinated implementation of presidential decisions. Staff morale improved as professionals recognized that their expertise was valued. Most importantly, the national security apparatus became more capable of responding to international crises in a coordinated fashion, rather than through the ad hoc approaches that had characterized the administration's early weeks. While the White House remained more chaotic than previous administrations, McMaster had created an island of relative stability within the storm.

Chapter 3: Strategic Vision: Crafting a Framework for National Security

McMaster's most enduring contribution as National Security Advisor was developing a coherent strategic framework for American foreign policy at a time when traditional assumptions were being questioned. The Trump administration had come to power promising to disrupt longstanding approaches to international engagement, from alliance relationships to trade agreements to military deployments. McMaster's challenge was to channel these disruptive impulses into a strategic vision that would advance American interests while preserving core principles and relationships. The centerpiece of this effort was the National Security Strategy (NSS) released in December 2017. Under McMaster's guidance, the document articulated a vision of "principled realism" that acknowledged the competitive nature of international relations while maintaining America's commitment to its values and alliances. The strategy marked a significant shift from previous administrations by identifying great power competition, particularly with China and Russia, as the central challenge facing the United States. This represented McMaster's strategic assessment that the post-Cold War era of American primacy was giving way to a more contested international environment requiring new approaches. The process of developing this strategy revealed McMaster's methodical approach to policymaking. He assembled a talented team led by Nadia Schadlow, a respected strategic thinker, and conducted extensive consultations across government departments and with outside experts. The resulting document identified four vital national interests: protecting the homeland, promoting American prosperity, preserving peace through strength, and advancing American influence. It provided a framework that could accommodate Trump's "America First" rhetoric while maintaining America's global leadership role. McMaster faced significant resistance in this effort. The nationalist wing of the administration pushed for a more isolationist approach that would have dramatically reduced America's global commitments. Meanwhile, the president himself often expressed skepticism about alliances, international institutions, and long-standing U.S. security guarantees. McMaster had to find language that would satisfy Trump's instincts while maintaining core principles of American foreign policy. The fact that he secured presidential approval for a strategy that affirmed the value of alliances, emphasized human rights, and recognized climate change as a security challenge represented a significant achievement in balancing competing priorities. Beyond the formal strategy document, McMaster worked to develop coherent approaches to specific regional and functional challenges. He established a regular process for reviewing policy toward North Korea, resulting in the "maximum pressure" campaign that combined diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions, and military readiness. He led a comprehensive review of Afghanistan policy that moved beyond the binary choice between withdrawal and endless war toward a conditions-based approach with clearer objectives. He developed a more integrated strategy toward Iran that addressed not just the nuclear agreement but the regime's broader destabilizing activities. Throughout these efforts, McMaster maintained his intellectual integrity, refusing to simply tell the president what he wanted to hear. When Trump questioned the value of NATO or suggested withdrawing from South Korea, McMaster provided honest assessments of the strategic costs. When the president expressed admiration for authoritarian leaders, McMaster emphasized the importance of human rights and democratic values. This principled approach earned respect from many but also created friction with a president who valued personal loyalty above all else.

Chapter 4: Navigating Presidential Impulses and Institutional Processes

The central tension of McMaster's tenure lay in reconciling the president's disruptive, intuitive approach to decision-making with the methodical processes required for effective national security policy. Trump had campaigned as an outsider who would challenge conventional wisdom and bring a businessman's decisiveness to government. McMaster, while no stranger to challenging orthodoxy, believed in rigorous analysis and institutional procedures. Their fundamentally different styles created recurring friction that McMaster had to navigate daily. The president's information consumption habits presented a particular challenge. Trump preferred brief, visually oriented presentations to detailed written materials and often gave more weight to television commentary than to intelligence assessments. McMaster adapted by developing more concise briefing formats with greater use of maps, charts, and images. He learned to distill complex issues into a few key points that could be delivered in the limited time available with the president. While this approach sacrificed some nuance, it allowed McMaster to ensure that essential information reached Trump in a format he would absorb. Decision-making processes revealed even starker differences. Trump often made impulsive pronouncements based on his instincts or recent conversations, sometimes catching his national security team by surprise. When the president tweeted that transgender individuals would be banned from military service without prior consultation, McMaster worked with Defense Secretary Mattis to develop an implementation approach that maintained military readiness while respecting existing commitments to service members. When Trump abruptly announced his intention to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, McMaster quickly assembled a planning team to establish objectives and parameters for negotiations. These episodes required McMaster to be nimble, translating presidential impulses into workable policies. Perhaps most challenging were the president's unconventional communication habits. Trump frequently made policy statements via Twitter, called foreign leaders without preparation, and disclosed sensitive information in public settings. After Trump shared classified intelligence with Russian officials in the Oval Office, McMaster found himself in the difficult position of publicly defending the president's legal authority to do so while privately working to prevent similar disclosures in the future. When Trump made inflammatory statements about NATO or South Korea, McMaster worked to reassure allies while finding ways to address the legitimate concerns about burden-sharing that underlay the president's rhetoric. Throughout these challenges, McMaster maintained his soldier's discipline, focusing on the mission rather than the politics. He avoided the public spotlight when possible and refused to engage in the kind of self-promotion or internal maneuvering that characterized many in the administration. This approach earned him respect from career staff but sometimes left him vulnerable in the cutthroat environment of Trump's White House. Unlike some officials who leaked to the press or cultivated their public image as a form of job security, McMaster relied on the quality of his work and his direct relationship with the president. By early 2018, the strain between McMaster's methodical approach and Trump's impulsive style had become increasingly apparent. The president had grown frustrated with McMaster's detailed briefings and preference for structured decision-making, while McMaster struggled with the president's resistance to established processes. Their relationship, never particularly warm, had deteriorated to the point where change seemed inevitable.

Chapter 5: Managing Global Crises: North Korea, Russia, and Beyond

McMaster's tenure coincided with several acute international crises that tested both his strategic thinking and his ability to implement coherent policies in a chaotic environment. The most pressing was North Korea's accelerating nuclear and missile programs, which threatened to bring the United States and North Korea to the brink of conflict. When Kim Jong-un conducted a series of provocative missile tests in 2017, including the first North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States, McMaster faced the challenge of developing a response that would deter further provocations without triggering catastrophic war. His approach, which became known as "maximum pressure," represented a synthesis of diplomatic, economic, and military elements. McMaster orchestrated an international campaign to isolate North Korea diplomatically and impose unprecedented economic sanctions. He worked with Defense Secretary Mattis to enhance military readiness while avoiding provocative exercises that might trigger miscalculation. And he established regular coordination mechanisms with South Korea and Japan to maintain allied unity despite the president's sometimes erratic messaging. This comprehensive strategy created leverage for potential negotiations while reducing the risk of armed conflict. The approach faced significant challenges from within the administration. When Trump threatened "fire and fury" in August 2017, McMaster had to manage the escalatory risks of such rhetoric while maintaining the president's confidence. When more hawkish voices advocated for preventive military strikes, McMaster ensured that the full costs and risks of such action were clearly presented. And when Trump abruptly announced his willingness to meet with Kim Jong-un in March 2018, McMaster worked to establish clear objectives for such engagement despite his own skepticism about North Korea's intentions. Russia presented a different kind of challenge. McMaster recognized Vladimir Putin's efforts to undermine Western democracies and NATO, but found himself constrained by Trump's peculiar reluctance to criticize the Russian leader. When McMaster spoke plainly about Russian election interference at the Munich Security Conference in February 2018, calling the evidence "incontrovertible," Trump publicly rebuked him on Twitter. Despite this tension, McMaster persisted in developing a coherent Russia strategy that acknowledged Moscow's malign activities while maintaining channels for cooperation on specific issues like counterterrorism. The Middle East presented multiple overlapping crises that required careful coordination. McMaster advocated for maintaining American presence in Syria and Iraq to prevent the resurgence of ISIS, counter Iranian influence, and maintain leverage in any political settlement. This put him at odds with the president's desire for rapid withdrawal and with other administration officials who favored disengagement. Similarly, on Iran, McMaster developed a comprehensive strategy that addressed the regime's destabilizing regional activities, ballistic missile program, and human rights abuses, rather than focusing exclusively on the nuclear agreement as Trump preferred. Throughout these crises, McMaster demonstrated remarkable skill in navigating between the president's unconventional approach and the requirements of effective statecraft. He maintained credibility with foreign counterparts even as he represented an administration that often confused and alarmed traditional allies. He built productive working relationships with Defense Secretary Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, creating a cohesive team that could present unified recommendations to the president. And he ensured that the national security apparatus remained capable of responding to emerging threats despite the administration's internal turbulence.

Chapter 6: The Afghanistan Strategy: A Hard-Won Victory

The development of a new Afghanistan strategy became McMaster's most significant policy achievement - and a case study in the challenges of crafting coherent strategy in the Trump administration. From his first days in office, McMaster recognized that the U.S. approach to Afghanistan was failing. The Obama administration's time-based withdrawal plan had emboldened the Taliban while demoralizing Afghan forces and government officials. McMaster pushed for a comprehensive review that would challenge fundamental assumptions and develop a more sustainable approach. The path to a new strategy proved arduous. Trump had campaigned on ending "endless wars" and initially favored a rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces. Steve Bannon and his allies advocated precisely that outcome, arguing that Afghanistan was an unwinnable quagmire. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Tillerson and Defense Secretary Mattis initially resisted McMaster's efforts, concerned that any review might lead Trump to order an immediate withdrawal. McMaster found himself fighting a two-front battle: convincing the president that a sustainable strategy was possible while overcoming bureaucratic resistance from the very departments needed to implement it. McMaster's approach combined intellectual rigor with political savvy. He arranged for Trump to hear directly from service members who had fought in Afghanistan, providing perspectives that resonated with the president's respect for military personnel. He traveled personally to the region, meeting with Afghan leaders and American commanders to gain firsthand insights. Most importantly, he insisted on examining all options - from complete withdrawal to privatizing the war effort to a sustainable commitment with revised rules of engagement - ensuring that the president had genuine choices rather than a predetermined outcome. The strategy that emerged from this process represented a significant shift from previous approaches. It abandoned arbitrary timelines in favor of a conditions-based approach that would maintain pressure on the Taliban while building Afghan capacity. It removed restrictions on U.S. forces that had limited their effectiveness against both Taliban and terrorist targets. It confronted Pakistan over its support for the Taliban, while integrating diplomatic and economic efforts with military operations. Most importantly, it provided a middle path between endless war and precipitous withdrawal - a sustainable commitment with clear objectives. The turning point came at Camp David in August 2017. After months of preparation and multiple false starts, McMaster orchestrated a meeting where Trump heard from his full national security team. The president, who had entered the meeting leaning toward withdrawal, ultimately approved the strategy McMaster had championed. Days later, in a prime-time address at Fort Myer, Trump announced the new approach, acknowledging that his initial instinct had been to withdraw but that he had been convinced of the need for a more sustainable strategy. This victory illustrated McMaster's ability to work within the system to achieve strategic objectives despite significant obstacles. He had navigated the president's skepticism, overcome internal opposition, and coordinated across multiple departments to develop a coherent approach. The Afghanistan strategy represented the kind of thoughtful, integrated policy that McMaster had sought to institutionalize throughout his tenure. Yet it also revealed the fragility of such achievements in an administration where presidential commitment remained uncertain and implementation often faced continuing resistance from both within and outside the government.

Chapter 7: Principled Leadership: Balancing Duty and Disruption

At the heart of McMaster's White House experience lay a fundamental tension: how to respect the authority of an elected president while ensuring that decisions were informed by rigorous analysis and strategic thinking. Unlike some officials who saw their role as "saving the country" from Trump, McMaster approached this challenge with a soldier's sense of duty. He believed his responsibility was to help the president make good decisions through proper process and honest counsel, not to obstruct or undermine the commander-in-chief's authority. This approach manifested in McMaster's handling of several controversial episodes. When Trump shared sensitive intelligence with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Oval Office, McMaster defended the president's legal authority to do so while working behind the scenes to prevent similar disclosures. When Trump made inflammatory statements about NATO or South Korea, McMaster worked to reassure allies while finding ways to address the legitimate concerns about burden-sharing that underlay the president's rhetoric. In each case, McMaster sought to channel the president's disruptive instincts toward constructive outcomes rather than simply resisting them. McMaster's principled approach came at a personal cost. By August 2017, he faced a coordinated campaign to undermine him, bringing together an unlikely alliance of alt-right media outlets, Russian intelligence operations, and internal White House rivals. Under the hashtag #FireMcMaster, a tsunami of attacks portrayed him as everything from anti-Israel to a tool of the "deep state." Analysis later revealed that Russian bots and trolls had amplified the campaign, seeing an opportunity to remove a national security advisor who recognized the threat posed by the Kremlin. Rather than fighting these battles in public, McMaster chose to focus on his duties. He avoided the media spotlight, declined to engage in internal political maneuvering, and maintained his commitment to providing the president with honest assessments even when they contradicted Trump's preferred narratives. This approach reflected both his military background and his understanding that responding to attacks would only distract from his mission. When President Trump issued a statement supporting him - "General McMaster and I are working very well together" - it temporarily quieted the campaign. By early 2018, however, McMaster's position had become increasingly tenuous. His relationship with Trump had deteriorated as the president chafed at McMaster's methodical approach and direct manner. When McMaster acknowledged Russian election interference at the Munich Security Conference in February 2018, calling the evidence "incontrovertible," Trump publicly rebuked him on Twitter. The incident crystallized their fundamental incompatibility - McMaster's commitment to fact-based analysis versus Trump's tendency to view all issues through the lens of personal loyalty and political advantage. The end came on March 22, 2018, when Trump announced via Twitter that McMaster would be replaced by John Bolton. Unlike the chaotic departure of his predecessor Michael Flynn, McMaster's transition was orderly and professional. He ensured a smooth handover to Bolton and delivered a dignified farewell address to the NSC staff, emphasizing the importance of their mission regardless of who led the organization. After 13 months of service in one of Washington's most challenging positions, McMaster retired from the Army and transitioned to academic life. Throughout his tenure, McMaster had demonstrated that principled leadership remains possible even in the most challenging circumstances. He had maintained his intellectual integrity, refusing to simply tell the president what he wanted to hear. He had focused on the mission rather than his personal standing, avoiding the public spotlight and declining to write a tell-all memoir immediately after leaving. And he had preserved his dignity throughout, never publicly criticizing the president even when subjected to humiliating treatment. In an era when public service has become increasingly partisan and personalized, McMaster's example reminds us that duty to country can and should transcend political tribalism.

Summary

H.R. McMaster's thirteen months as National Security Advisor represented a remarkable chapter in a lifetime of service to the United States. Thrust into one of the most turbulent White House environments in modern history, he brought order to chaos, established coherent processes for decision-making, and developed strategic frameworks that would guide policy well beyond his tenure. His experience illuminates the eternal tension between professional expertise and political leadership in democratic systems - a tension particularly acute in the Trump administration. Through it all, McMaster demonstrated that principled public service remains possible even when fundamental values and approaches diverge from those of elected leadership. The enduring lesson of McMaster's White House journey lies in his demonstration that one can serve with integrity without sacrificing effectiveness. In an age of increasing polarization, where public service is often viewed through partisan lenses, McMaster offers an alternative model - one grounded in duty, expertise, and moral courage rather than personal loyalty or ideological purity. For future national security professionals navigating complex institutions during turbulent times, his example provides a roadmap for maintaining personal integrity while working within systems they cannot fully control. It reminds us that the most valuable public servants are not those who simply execute orders or those who resist from within, but those who bring their full professional judgment to bear while respecting democratic processes and constitutional authority.

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H.R. McMaster

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