Robert Strange McNamara (June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He played a major role in escalating the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War. McNamara was responsible for the institution of systems analysis in public policy, which developed into the discipline known today as policy analysis.He was born in San Francisco, California, graduated from UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School and served in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. After the war, Henry Ford II hired McNamara and a group of other Army Air Force veterans to work for Ford Motor Company. These "Whiz Kids" helped reform Ford with modern planning, organization, and management control systems. After briefly serving as Ford's president, McNamara accepted appointment as Secretary of Defense.
McNamara became a close adviser to Kennedy and advocated the use of a blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy and McNamara instituted a Cold War defense strategy of flexible response, which anticipated the need for military responses short of massive retaliation. McNamara consolidated intelligence and logistics functions of the Pentagon into two centralized agencies: the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Defense Supply Agency. During the Kennedy administration, McNamara presided over a build-up of US soldiers in South Vietnam. After the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident, the number of US soldiers in Vietnam escalated dramatically. McNamara and other US policymakers feared that the fall of South Vietnam to a Communist regime would lead to the fall of other governments in the region. In October 1966, he launched Project 100,000, the lowering of army IQ standards which allowed 354,000 additional men to be recruited, despite criticism that they were not suited to working in high stress or dangerous environments.
McNamara grew increasingly skeptical of the efficacy of committing American troops to Vietnam. In 1968, he resigned as Secretary of Defense to become President of the World Bank. He remains the longest serving Secretary of Defense, having remained in office over seven years. He served as President of the World Bank until 1981, shifting the focus of the World Bank from infrastructure and industrialization towards poverty reduction. After retiring, he served as a trustee of several organizations, including the California Institute of Technology and the Brookings Institution. In his later writings and interviews, he expressed regret for the decisions he made during the Vietnam War.
Sol turns thousands of years of human wisdom from the world’s spiritual traditions into a totally unique personality profile. To get your own profile, check compatibility with friends and much more, download the Sol App today.
Some of their strengths
Robert S. McNamara has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Energetic, Quick-witted, Intelligent, Passionate, Optimistic, Curious, and Intuitive.
Charming and Quick-witted
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Robert S. McNamara is someone who is a charming, quick-witted, and energetic person who combines passion and intelligence with an ability to feel what others are feeling and to effectively communicate with them. A person who is a bit of a "lone wolf".
Warm and Caring
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Robert S. McNamara well know them as someone who can be warm, caring, and compassionate, like a lamp or torch.
Inventive and Clever
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Robert S. McNamara as someone who is flexible, intelligent, and quick-witted.
A person who likes to be creative, and to be recognized for their artistic talents. Who possesses intelligence, mental discipline, and ambition, and who does well in relationships and partnerships.
Assertive and Protective
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Robert S. McNamara is someone who is a somewhat private person who has a strong personality and ability to read other people.
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Logical and Reasonable
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Robert S. McNamara tends to be someone who is understanding, logical, and reasonable. Who can be intellectual and intuitive, speak the truth at any cost, be witty and sociable, and live life to its fullest.
Some of Robert S. McNamara's challenges
While Robert S. McNamara has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Robert S. McNamara can be Self-centered, Hypocritical, Difficult, Perfectionist, Emotional, Standoffish, and Unfocused.
Hypocritical and Self-centered
One of Robert S. McNamara's key challenges is that they are someone who can be perceived as hypocritical and self-centered.
Robert S. McNamara must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs.
Unfocused and Indecisive
Robert S. McNamara is someone who can be scattered, restless, and insensitive, be distracted by fluctuating professional interests, be a workaholic, and who can be arrogant and have difficulty accepting advice.
Indecisive and Distracted
Finally, Robert S. McNamara also can have a hard time staying focused and can easily become restless.
