Donald Trump appoints Robert O’Brien as new US National Security Adviser

US President Donald Trump has named Robert O’Brien as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) of the United States. Robert O’Brien will be replacing John Bolton who was fired by Trump last week.

Donald Trump made the announcement over Twitter saying, “I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien as our new National Security Advisor. I have worked long & hard with Robert. He will do a great job!

Donald Trump had shortlisted five names for the position of US National Security Adviser and Robert C. O’Brien was chosen among them.

Robert C. O’Brien: Know all about him!

Robert C O’Brien currently serves as the special presidential envoy for Hostage Affairs at the State Department. In the role, he works with the families of US hostages and advises on related issues including recovery policies.

Robert O'Brien has had a long career in law and foreign policy and has worked for both the main US parties, the Democrats as well as the Republicans. He has previously served under the administrations of former US Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama. O'Brien had been appointed as the US representative to the UN General Assembly in 2005 under Bush administration.

He will be the fourth national security adviser under Donald Trump‘s administration and 28th NSA overall. He was preceded by John Bolton, Herbert Raymond McMaster and Michael Flynn. The position does not need confirmation from the Congress.

In his new position, h Robert O'Brien will be tasked with tackling a wide range of issues ranging from immigration policy to heightened tensions with Iran. O'Brien is known to be critical of the Iran nuclear deal, calling Iran "the largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world". He was also critical of the United Nations in his book, “While America Slept: Restoring American Leadership to a World in Crisis.”

Why did John Bolton get fired?

John Bolton was appointed as the 27th National Security Adviser of the United States on April 9, 2018. He was abruptly fired from the position by US President Donald Trump on September 10, 2019.

Trump defended the decision by saying that he strongly disagreed on many of Bolton’s suggestions, as did others in the Administration.

John Bolton, since his joining as NSA, was known to be critical of Trump’s dealings with North Korea and his decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. 

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