Story highlights McFarland will be the Deputy National Security Advisor

McFarland served in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations

(CNN) National security analyst KT McFarland will join President-elect Donald Trump's administration as the deputy national security adviser, the transition announced Friday, also naming Donald McGahn, general counsel for Trump's campaign, to be White House counsel.

"I am proud that KT has once again decided to serve our country and join my national security team," the President-elect said in a statement. "She has tremendous experience and innate talent that will complement the fantastic team we are assembling, which is crucial because nothing is more important than keeping our people safe."

Trump's choice for national security adviser, Michael Flynn, first announced the decision Friday on Twitter.

"So proud & honored to have KT McFarland as part of our National Security team. She will help us #MAGA," Flynn tweeted from his verified account, using a hashtag that is an acronym for Trump's campaign slogan "Make America great again."

Trump's transition team announced a week ago that Flynn was its choice to be national security adviser.

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