Veteran of Battle of 73 Easting appointed National Security Advisor

Military.com has posted an article about Army Lt. Gen H.R. McMaster, the new appointee to the position of National Security Adviser.  Those interested in armored warfare history may remember him as one of the participants of the Battle of 73 Easting during the 1991 Gulf War.

It was late afternoon on Feb. 26, 1991, during the Gulf War when then-Capt. H.R. McMaster ran into a superior Iraqi armored force lying in wait to halt the main U.S. advance into occupied Kuwait.

McMaster commanded Eagle Troop of 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. The 2nd ACR was providing an offensive covering force for the U.S. Army’s VII Corps.

Advancing through a heavy sandstorm, McMaster’s nine M1 Abrams Tanks and 12 M3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles made contact with the large Iraqi defensive belt in the featureless Iraqi desert.

His troop destroyed approximately 50 T72 Tanks and about 25 other armored vehicles in 23 minutes in what would become known as the Battle of 73 Easting of Operation Desert Storm.

McMaster was awarded a Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest valor award, for his actions during that short-lived conflict.

Twenty-six years later, Lt. Gen. McMaster has been selected to serve as national security adviser to the Trump administration.

Read the full Military.com article here.

For more on H.R. McMaster and the Battle of 73 Easting, check out these links:

10 Lessons from the Battle of 73 Easting by H.R. McMaster

Battle of 73 Easting by Captain H.R. McMaster (PDF)

TV Documentary featuring H.R. McMaster