Ex-NATO Chief praises Trump's national security team 'now that Flynn has been dismissed'

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February 21, 2017 9:23 PM

"The good news. It's an absolutely first class national security team, now that Flynn has been dismissed."

James Stavridis at a NATO meeting.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. — The Former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO on Tuesday praised the national security team being shaped under the Trump administration as "first class" now that retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is out of the picture.

"The good news," said Adm. James Stavridis (Ret.) to attendees of the AFCEA West 2017 conference in a keynote address delivered via teleconference.

"It's an absolutely first class national security team, now that Flynn has been dismissed."

Besides offering positive marks for McMaster, Stavridis heaped praise on others shaping national security policy, such as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Though, he cautioned, the Trump administration's failure to appoint people to second and third-tier levels of national security positions has him concerned.

Though Trump has complained that Democrats were obstructing his nominees for key positions, The Washington Post's tracker shows the president has not put forth nominations for 515 of the 549 roles that require Senate confirmation.

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