US President-elect Donald Trump on Monday announced Mike Waltz, who is the co-chair of the India Caucus, as his new National Security Adviser (NSA), reported Associated Press, citing sources familiar with the development. During his tenure as co-chair of the India Caucus in the House, he advocated for advancing US defence and security cooperation with India.
Mike Waltz, 50, is a retired Army colonel and former Green Beret. He was born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and raised by a single mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Waltz’s father and grandfather both served as Navy Chiefs.
Serving in the US House of Representatives since 2019, he has been a vocal critic of President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. This term, he holds positions on the House Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, and Intelligence Committees.
Waltz’s ideas on defence and security have many times aligned with those of Trump’s foreign policy priorities. On the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, he had urged Europe to increase its aid for Ukraine and called on the US to strengthen its backing. He has also strongly criticised the Biden administration’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He has commended Trump for urging NATO allies to increase defence spending, but unlike the President-elect, he has not called for the US to withdraw from the alliance. “Look, we can be allies and friends and have tough conversations,” Waltz said last month, reported IANS.
Mike Waltz has been a vocal critic of China’s alleged economic tactics, including intellectual property theft, unfair trade, and exploitation of US supply chains. He supports reducing US dependence on Chinese manufacturing and securing American technology. He also serves on the Republican China Task Force, where he argues that the US military remains underprepared for potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
He is the co-chairs India Caucus in the House, the largest country-specific group in the US Congress.
Waltz has expressed his willingness to serve in the administration and was seen as a potential candidate to lead the Pentagon. The National Security Adviser role, however, does not require Senate confirmation.
Stay informed on all the , real-time updates, and follow all the important headlines in and on Zee News.
