15 H. R. McMaster Quotes for You to Enjoy

H. R. McMaster

American Public Servant

Born: Jul 24, 1962

Army Enemy Important People War You

Related authors: Andrew Yang Ben Bernanke Betsy DeVos Clara Barton Elizabeth Warren Hope Hicks Jerome Powell Jim Mattis

In the Army, because the stakes are so high - right? - you can't just be a yes-man and say, 'Great idea, boss!' if you don't believe it - right? - because lives are at stake. And the commanders that I've worked for, they want frank assessments; they want criticism and feedback. H. R. McMaster

Because war is a competition involving life and death, and in which national security and vital interests are at stake, establishing an objective other than winning is not only counterproductive, but also irresponsible and wasteful. In some circumstances, it is also unethical. H. R. McMaster

Life Death War Competition National Other Circumstances Security Life And Death Vital Some Objective Only Winning Counterproductive Also Involving Because Than National Security Unethical Irresponsible Establishing Which Stake Interests Wasteful

Bombing, particularly from the perspective of the receiving end, is not 'communication.' Bombs result in death and destruction. H. R. McMaster

Death Communication Destruction Result Perspective Particularly End Bombing Bombs Receiving

You have to keep listening and thinking and being critical and self-critical. Remember General Nivelle, in the First World War, at Verdun? He said he had the solution and then destroyed the French Army until it mutinied. H. R. McMaster

War You Army World Remember Listening First Thinking Destroyed Critical Solution General Had He Self-Critical Until French First World First World War Said Being Then Keep World War

It is clear that while our Army was engaged in Afghanistan and Iraq, Russia studied U.S. capabilities and vulnerabilities and embarked on an ambitious and largely successful modernization effort. H. R. McMaster

Army Our Embarked Russia Studied Clear Vulnerabilities Iraq Ambitious Effort Afghanistan While Capabilities Modernization Successful Engaged Largely

In the years leading up to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, thinking about defense was driven by ideas that regarded successful military operations as ends in themselves rather than just one instrument of power that must be coordinated with others to achieve - and sustain - political goals. H. R. McMaster

Political Goals Achieve Power Military Thinking Defense Others Must About Rather Driven Leading Ideas Instrument Operations Years Iraq Up Than Afghanistan Just Ends Sustain Regarded Just One Themselves Successful Wars Military Operations Coordinated

It is in their inherent moral components that recent Western strategies may be deficient. What percentage of the populations in countries engaged in the 14-year effort in Afghanistan could even name the three main Taliban groups with whom their soldiers have been engaged? H. R. McMaster

Three Deficient Soldiers Moral Components Percentage Could Main Countries Name Taliban Been Western Effort May Afghanistan Engaged Inherent Strategies Even Groups Whom Recent

The professed war-weariness among populations who have sent only a small percentage of their sons and daughters to fight in recent wars may derive from a failure to communicate effectively what is at stake in those wars and explain why the efforts are worthy of the risks, resources, and sacrifices necessary to sustain the strategy. H. R. McMaster

Failure Risks Fight Communicate Strategy Resources Those Worthy Percentage Only Small Daughters Sacrifices Sons Effectively Efforts May Sustain Explain Stake Sent Derive Who Professed Wars Why Among Necessary Recent

Every time you treat an Iraqi disrespectfully, you are working for the enemy. H. R. McMaster

Time You Enemy Treat Every Every Time Iraqi Working

It's astounding the degree to which these communities are intermarried. Iraq is a crazy quilt of ethnicities and religious sects. H. R. McMaster

Crazy Quilt Degree Astounding Religious Iraq Which Communities

Some people have a misunderstanding about the Army. Some people think, 'Hey, you're in the military, and everything is super-hierarchical, and you're in an environment that is intolerable of criticism, and people don't want frank assessments.' I think the opposite is the case. H. R. McMaster

You Army People Criticism Some People Military Think Everything Hey Frank Intolerable Some About Case Environment Misunderstanding Opposite Want

Much of the conventional wisdom associated with Vietnam was highly inaccurate. Far from an inevitable result of the imperative to contain communism, the war was only made possible through lies and deceptions aimed at the American public, Congress, and members of Lyndon Johnson's own administration. H. R. McMaster

Wisdom War Communism Result Made Inevitable Own Congress Lyndon Members Possible Administration Lies Only Imperative Johnson Through Contain Highly American Conventional Conventional Wisdom Inaccurate Public Far Much Vietnam American Public Associated

What we have found is that we were the principal mediators in many cases between the Iraqis and their own security forces and their own government, and so you have to almost embrace that role. H. R. McMaster

Government You Own Security Security Forces Embrace Cases Almost Between Principal Forces Were Iraqis Role Many Found

Although combat operations unseated the Taliban and the Saddam Hussein regime, a poor understanding of the recent histories of the Afghan and Iraqi peoples undermined efforts to consolidate early battlefield gains into lasting security. H. R. McMaster

People Understanding Lasting Battlefield Consolidate Security Hussein Combat Saddam Saddam Hussein Taliban Undermined Although Operations Iraqi Histories Efforts Afghan Regime Gains Poor Early Recent

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