The veteran spy and his unfinished political mission

(Baonghean) - The unfinished political mission of US National Security Advisor Michael Flynn has become a hot topic in the country's political arena in recent days. On the night of February 13 (US time), retired General Flynn officially submitted his resignation related to his contacts with the Russian Ambassador to the US after 3 weeks in office, marking the shortest term of a National Security Advisor in US history.

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Intelligence veteran

After graduating from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in management science, General Michael Flynn began his career as an officer in the military intelligence field in 1981. Since then, he has been known as a straightforward and sharp intelligence expert in the US military.

Not stopping with a university degree, the biography kept in the US Defense Intelligence Agency also shows that General Flynn possesses 3 graduate degrees, including: master's in telecommunications, master's in military science and arts, master's in national security and strategic studies from different universities.

Retired General Michael Flynn and the shortest tenure as National Security Advisor in US history. Photo: Getty

In his career, General Flynn has held various positions in military intelligence, including Director of Intelligence for the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Intelligence for the US-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. From 2012 to 2014, General Flynn served as Director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency until his retirement.

According to General Flynn, despite his high position, he had many disagreements in views with former President Barack Obama, especially on the approach to the war on terrorism. Therefore, after resigning, Mr. Flynn often harshly criticized the Obama administration and the Pentagon regarding policies and approaches in international affairs, especially the fight against IS. With his public support for the new President, especially challenging the "apolitical" tradition of the US military at the Republican Party's July convention last year, General Flynn "caught the eye" of Mr. Trump.

Controversial character

According to experts, General Flynn was appointed by Mr. Trump as the US National Security Advisor thanks to his enthusiastic support during Mr. Trump's presidential campaign. Sharing the same view as Mr. Trump, General Flynn also emphasized the need to be more aggressive in dealing with the IS threat.

Not only that, Mr. Flynn is also a supporter of close relations with Russia and often calls on the US government under President Barack Obama to cooperate more closely with Russia. It was thought that the conflict of views with the old administration had ended and General Flynn would have a "smooth sailing" period under Mr. Trump - a like-minded person. However, things did not go as planned!

General Michael Flynn participated in many speeches during President Donald Trump's election campaign last year. Photo: AP

In fact, in just three weeks in the position of National Security Advisor, the President's top aides and advisers have gradually lost confidence in Mr. Flynn. Even Vice President Mike Pence is upset that Mr. Flynn has not told the truth about his contacts with the Russian side.

Earlier in late January, the US Department of Justice also warned the White House that Mr. Flynn’s appointment as US National Security Advisor could be “problematic” due to the difference between the information Mr. Flynn disclosed to the American public and what the intelligence community knew about his phone calls with the Russian side. Recently, the press also reported that President Trump had known about the incident for many weeks but still “overlooked” General Flynn and kept him in office.

In the face of such a noisy controversy, White House sources said that President Trump had a difficult week to make a decision on the Flynn case. In the end, Mr. Trump was said to have been forced to make a decision despite not wanting to. The White House also admitted that the President himself asked National Security Advisor Michael Flynn to resign.

Unfinished political mission

It is not difficult to understand President Donald Trump's hesitation in handling the case of General Michael Flynn. Because throughout the election campaign, Mr. Flynn advised President Trump on a series of issues such as security and defense. If he remains as Security Advisor, General Flynn will be the head of Mr. Trump's key contact with the State Department, the Pentagon and a series of intelligence agencies in the US. Congressman Devin Nunes, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, once commented: "Mr. Flynn is someone who has the trust of President Trump, has prestige with the military, the intelligence community and Congress. He takes his position very seriously."

The similarity of views and his candor could have made General Flynn a loyal and truly useful ally for Mr. Trump. However, Mr. Trump realized that he could not ignore the issue of General Flynn's contacts with the Russian side.

According to analysts, this development shows that Mr. Trump is really feeling the pressure of the President position and that running a country is not like managing a private business. Not only that, General Flynn's resignation after only 3 weeks is said to be clarifying the comprehensive crisis taking place at the US National Security Council (NSC) in particular as well as the operating apparatus of the US government in general.

Khang Duy