“General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA - as are three others,” Trump tweeted Friday morning.
Vice Admiral Robert Harward turned down an offer to be national security adviser Thursday.
Harward told The Associated Press that the Trump administration was "very accommodating to my needs, both professionally and personally."
"It's purely a personal issue," Harward said Thursday evening. "I'm in a unique position finally after being in the military for 40 years to enjoy some personal time."
Media reports say Kellogg was born on May 12, 1944, at Wright- Patterson Air Force Base, however the base will not confirm it since the date is before the founding of the Air Force in 1947.
His father Joseph Keith Kellogg was in the Army Air Forces during World War II.
Kellogg considered Long Beach, Calif. his home.
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The retired three-star general, a former Army Ranger, was a reconnaissance platoon leader with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam, where he served two tours, and later commanding general of the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, N.C., according to his Army biography.
General Keith Kellogg, who I have known for a long time, is very much in play for NSA - as are three others.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 17, 2017
He served in Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia and was the commanding general of Special Operations Command Europe in Germany, his biography shows. He was the recipient of the Silver Star and several Bronze Star medals.
After leaving the Army, Kellogg was a defense industry and computer software executive.
As a civilian, Kellogg was the chief operations for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq between November 2003 to March 2004, according to published sources.
Kellogg had previously been appointed the National Security Council chief of staff and, along with Flynn, advised Trump on national security and foreign policy issues during the campaign. He had been considered for national security adviser before the post went to Flynn.
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Loren B. Thompson, a Virginia-based senior defense analyst and defense industry consultant, said the national security adviser has a key role to keep the president informed on national security challenges that have grown in recent years.
“In addition to keeping track of all these details, the national security adviser must assure a smooth flow of information within the government, so cabinet members aren’t blind-sided by White House security moves,” he said in an email.
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“It’s a seven-days-per-week job that often demands 14 hours of work in a day. General Flynn was highly regarded for his operational experience as a senior intelligence officer, but he was having trouble managing his White House staff — which numbers over 200.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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