Thread: Trump's choice for national security adviser had early exposure to Iran

Trump's choice for national security adviser had early exposure to Iran

Politics | Wed Feb 15, 2017 | 2:23pm EST

As a teenager in the early 1970s retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Robert S. Harward played football and basketball, was popular with classmates and, like many American high school students, was known for partying.

But Harward, to whom President Donald Trump has offered the post of U.S. national security adviser, to succeed Michael Flynn, spent his teenage years not in his native Rhode Island, but in pre-revolutionary Iran, where his father, a Navy captain, advised the Iranian military.

During his teenage years, Harward lived in an Iranian neighborhood, attended school with Iranian-American students and played sports against Iranian teams. Those experiences gave him an unusual familiarity with Iran's culture and people in the years before the 1979 Islamic revolution that ousted the pro-American Shah.

"During very formative years of his life, he was exposed to everything that was Iran," said Joseph Condrill, who knew Harward, known by his classmates as Bobby, when they were students at the Tehran American School. "Iran was one of our homes, and we got to know the Iranian people very well, in a very intimate way."

The Trump administration has offered Harward the job of national security adviser, two U.S. officials familiar with the matter said on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if Harward had accepted, the sources said. A White House spokesperson had no immediate comment.

Harward would carry his experience into the Trump White House, charged with coordinating national security policy and responding to threats including Iran's ballistic missile program and support for militant groups in the Middle East.

While Flynn put Iran "on notice," and Trump has tweeted that Iran is "playing with fire," Harward's experience with Iran is more personal.

The revolution that brought Iran's theocratic government to power forced the closure of the Tehran American School and cut short the tours of American families living in Iran.

Rather than being isolated on a military base, Harward and other Americans at that time lived among Iranians, rode local buses, and were exposed to Iran's attractions through field trips, his classmates said.

"It was not a completely isolated culture for us," said John Martin, 61, of Reston, Virginia, who was in Harward's high school class and attended the U.S. Naval Academy with him. Harward even picked up fluent Persian while he was in Iran, Martin said.

"For those of us that had once lived in Iran, there's an after-effect, the effect of the Islamic Revolution," Condrill said. "There is definitely a sense of suspicion, if you will ... based upon that experience of the Iran that we once knew."

It is not clear, however, how Harward's memories might influence U.S. policy, because the national security adviser's job is to coordinate, not make, policy. In addition, administration officials said, Trump advisers Steve Bannon and Stephen Miller have closer ties to the president than Harward would have and would present a rival power center.

In 2012, as deputy head of the U.S. Central Command, he told a conference that "Iran's well-established past pattern of deceit and reckless behavior have progressively increased the potential for miscalculation that could spark a regional, if not a global conflict."

At the same event, he recalled with some wistfulness his own experience living in the region.

"I think back to the days when I graduated from the Tehran American School in 1974, where as a Westerner I could freely travel through Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and other countries in the region and be greeted, and welcomed, because of the policies and strategy the West employed in the region," he said. "Yet I look today, we are in a much different world."

Harward did not respond to a request for comment and officials at Lockheed Martin, where he is a top executive, declined to comment.

After graduating from high school in 1974, Harward returned to the United States, joined the Navy, became an elite SEAL and rose through the ranks, eventually serving as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East. He served there under General Jim Mattis, now the U.S. defense secretary.
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Earlier in his career, Harward worked on counterterrorism as a military officer on the National Security Council, an assignment seen as a marker of a rising star.

Several former U.S. officials who worked with Harward described him as experienced and smart, but not known for his personal experience with Iran.

He is well-liked and respected and seen as unpretentious despite his distinguished military service, according to people who have worked with him.

"He was a very good and effective bureaucratic player," said Derek Chollet, an assistant secretary of defense under the Obama administration. "He understands the role the military plays within the broader tool set of American policy."

When Harward was a commanding officer in Afghanistan, he was known for making his rounds without full body armor to send a message that Afghanistan was safe, said a U.S. official who worked under Harward there.

"He had no ego," the official said, on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak.

(Reporting by Yeganeh Torbati; Editing by James Dalgleish)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-us...-idUSKBN15U2AU

Sounds good. Less controversial. Let the leakers try to take him down. BOOM!!

Hope he is not another muslim sympathizer - we had enough of that with obama, brennan. To spend all that time in iran, he would not be my choice. To not wear body armor does not impress me either; like he is displaying afghanies are safe to be around - wrong.

It seems we have had more than enough of islam's people. Americans would like to see us get out of the middle east and let them kill each other - send the Christians here to prevent further genocide or set up a zone for them there. gw destroyed a whole generation of our youth by death, brain damage, limbs blown off thru a backdoor draft - our national guard units - busy productive people with the patriotic sense to take time for the guard. Disgraceful!

Bannon and Preibus can go too - bannon is not qualified and has questionable beliefs & preibus is just is too buddy buddy with ryan. Trump likes them both but that does not mean that they are good for him or us.

I wouldn't like to see anybody in tough with Iran...on the top positions...is possible to put on the high position person who lived in Russia..?
Double standards....?

Originally Posted by artist

Hope he is not another muslim sympathizer - we had enough of that with obama, brennan. To spend all that time in iran, he would not be my choice. To not wear body armor does not impress me either; like he is displaying afghanies are safe to be around - wrong.

It seems we have had more than enough of islam's people. Americans would like to see us get out of the middle east and let them kill each other - send the Christians here to prevent further genocide or set up a zone for them there. gw destroyed a whole generation of our youth by death, brain damage, limbs blown off thru a backdoor draft - our national guard units - busy productive people with the patriotic sense to take time for the guard. Disgraceful!

Bannon and Preibus can go too - bannon is not qualified and has questionable beliefs & preibus is just is too buddy buddy with ryan. Trump likes them both but that does not mean that they are good for him or us.

I have no problem agreeing with most of what you said. However, we differ in our view on Bannon. Of course I'll admit most of my support for Bannon comes purely because of his position on illegal immigration. He's exactly what we want, isn't he? After all it's the illegal immigrant issue that brought us all together.

Bannon is against illegal immigration and conservative talking in the arenas where the big boys can make more $$$ but that is about it. Good job with Breitbart but not suitable for the WH; therefore he is at a level of incompetence in his position. I do not want the top advisor to make statements re endangered species that he can't eat aren't worth saving. The man is a toad as far as I'm concerned. Endangered species are bothersome to him and is like because their habitat cannot be destroyed by big gas, oil, mining. Is bannon able to keep his stock portfolio in his new position?

He also is attached to the "women should be punished for abortions" statement and that is about the only time I saw Trump with an awkward face as if they were not his words. It seems like he was following what he was told to say. It was stupid and he got by it but bannon is a creep - does not even look comfortable in the role - appearance is unkempt too. Lot more things to deal with than immigration. War with china re South Seas inevitable, another scary talk from bannon - is bannon qualified for WH advisor? not in my opinion.

artist, just some background information on Steve Bannon, he's a book you can't really judge by his cover, but like you, I wish he would shave, cut his hair and put on a suit. But his background is well, you decide for yourself:

Excerpt:

Stephen Kevin Bannon was born on November 27, 1953, in Norfolk, Virginia, to Doris (née Herr) and Martin Bannon, a telephone lineman.[25][26] His working class, Irish Catholic family were pro-Kennedy, pro-union Democrats.[27][28] After serving as president of the student government association,[29] he graduated from Virginia Tech in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in urban planning and holds a master's degree in national security studies from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. In 1985,[31] Bannon received a Master of Business Administration degree with honors[32] from Harvard Business School.[33]

Service in U.S. Navy

Bannon was an officer in the United States Navy for seven years in the late 1970s and early 1980s, serving on the destroyer USS Paul F. Foster as a surface warfare officer in the Pacific Fleet and stateside as a special assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon.[34] Upon his departure he was ranked as a lieutenant (O-3).[1][a]

Business career

Investment banking

After his military service, Bannon worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker in the Mergers and Acquisitions Department.[36]When he left the company he held the position of vice president.[37] In 1990, Bannon and several colleagues from Goldman Sachs launched Bannon & Co., a boutique investment bank specializing in media. Through this company, Bannon negotiated the sale of Castle Rock Entertainment to Ted Turner. As payment, Bannon & Co. accepted a financial stake in five television shows, including Seinfeld. Société Générale purchased Bannon & Co. in 1998.[32]

Environmental sector

In 1993, while still managing Bannon & Co., Bannon was made acting director of the Earth-science research project Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona. Under Bannon, the project shifted emphasis from researching space exploration and colonization toward pollution and global warming. He left the project in 1995.[38][39]

Entertainment and media

In the 1990s, Bannon ventured into the entertainment and media industry. He became an executive producer in the Hollywood film and media industry. Bannon produced 18 films[26] from the 1992 Sean Penn drama The Indian Runner to executive producing Julie Taymor's 1999 film Titus. Bannon became a partner with entertainment industry executive Jeff Kwatinetz at The Firm, Inc., a film and television management company.[32]

Cont in link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Bannon

His 3 statements mentioned are enough for me to form an opinion - everything else is irrelevant. Not the man for the job he has now. Preibus seems to be going next as he also is not the man for that job. Trump seems to pick buddies - his buddies are scary when they are in positions they should not be in. Pruitt for EPA is a no brainer, the man has no respect for the environment nor our health at all.

Mr Exxon will be forming relationships around the globe to produce oil. USDA pick fights against decent animal treatment, anther pick states pesticides are safe. Big go ahead for pipelines for a few measly construction jobs that will allow tons of of the dirtiest oil that destroys some of the most pristine forests in our planet to acquire it. No the pipelines only promote further destruction, that is not progress but being stuck in the mud of yesterday. The loss of habitat for creatures, eminent domain for property owners, fear of living near a pipeline that could break at anytime, can't sell your property - it is disgraceful. It will be disappointing if a balance is not struck as opposed to the directions being taken - all for the $$$$, the stock owners of greedy, reckless, lying industries. Plenty of jobs in clean, non toxic renewable energy - expand them instead!

Somethings not right here and hope they do not get as far as they would like to go - very disappointing. Of course, hillary would have been a total wipe out but let's not destroy our air, land, water, our health and nature's creatures for the big boys profits. They do not care if children have to undergo chemo and never have a chance of a normal life afterwards, if they live.

Originally Posted by artist

His 3 statements mentioned are enough for me to form an opinion - everything else is irrelevant. Not the man for the job he has now. Preibus seems to be going next as he also is not the man for that job. Trump seems to pick buddies - his buddies are scary when they are in positions they should not be in. Pruitt for EPA is a no brainer, the man has no respect for the environment nor our health at all.

Mr Exxon will be forming relationships around the globe to produce oil. USDA pick fights against decent animal treatment, anther pick states pesticides are safe. Big go ahead for pipelines for a few measly construction jobs that will allow tons of of the dirtiest oil that destroys some of the most pristine forests in our planet to acquire it. No the pipelines only promote further destruction, that is not progress but being stuck in the mud of yesterday. The loss of habitat for creatures, eminent domain for property owners, fear of living near a pipeline that could break at anytime, can't sell your property - it is disgraceful. It will be disappointing if a balance is not struck as opposed to the directions being taken - all for the $$$$, the stock owners of greedy, reckless, lying industries. Plenty of jobs in clean, non toxic renewable energy - expand them instead!

Somethings not right here and hope they do not get as far as they would like to go - very disappointing. Of course, hillary would have been a total wipe out but let's not destroy our air, land, water, our health and nature's creatures for the big boys profits. They do not care if children have to undergo chemo and never have a chance of a normal life afterwards, if they live.

I certainly share your opinion on Pruitt. I too think he is a very bad choice for the position he's been given. I also agree with you on the Keystone pipeline.

As for him choosing his buddies. Unfortunately that is what typically happens (buddies and big dollar donors). In some cases, I guess you could call it rewarding loyalty. Of course that can be good or bad, it depends on the position and person. The only person I can find absolutely no fault in is his Attorney General pick. As for his Secretary of DHS, Kelly, I've not yet formed a full opinion on him. However, I am a little concerned about his possible inability to come out fast and hard on the interior enforcement of our immigration laws. In my view he's more a border security kind of guy. If I'm not mistaken, he's even admitted as much. I hope for our sake he learns fast.