Who Is Mike Waltz, India Caucus Head, Picked By Donald Trump As National Security Adviser?

In a notable appointment for India, President-elect Donald Trump named Florida Congressman and India Caucus co-chair Mike Waltz as his incoming National Security Adviser. This decision, announced on Monday, adds to the swiftly forming senior staff roster following Trump's recent election victory. Waltz, 50, is a retired Army colonel and former Green Beret, with extensive military and security expertise as part of the US Army's elite special forces.

Who Is Mike Waltz?

Mike Waltz, born in Boynton Beach, Florida, and raised in Jacksonville, was brought up by a dedicated single mother in a family with a strong Navy tradition—his father and grandfather were Navy Chiefs. Waltz graduated with honours from the Virginia Military Institute and went on to serve 27 years in the US Army and National Guard. He retired as a colonel, having completed numerous combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa as a decorated Green Beret and Special Forces officer. For his actions in combat, Mike was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two for valour.

Career After Army Retirement

After retiring from the Army, Waltz continued his service as a policy advisor in the White House and Pentagon, working with Secretaries of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, and advising the Bush administration on defence policies. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.

His experiences led him to write the book 'Warrior Diplomat: A Green Beret's Battles from Washington to Afghanistan,' supporting veterans' foundations, and a children's book 'Dawn of the Brave' on the value of service.

Waltz also built a successful small business with over 400 employees, and his company was recognised in the Inc. 500 list of fast-growing companies.

Apart from being an author and adviser, Waltz also provides expert commentary on foreign policy, defence, and business issues to viewers around the world at Fox News Channel as a contributor.

Mike Waltz's Political Career

He has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 2019. He has been a forceful critic of President Joe Biden's foreign policy and serves on the House Armed Services Committee, House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Intelligence Committee this term.

He has called for Europe to do more to support Ukraine and for the US to be more stringent with its support, aligning with a key foreign policy goal of the President-elect. He has also been a staunch critic of the Biden administration's 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Waltz has praised Trump for pushing NATO allies to spend more on defence, but unlike the President-elect, he has not suggested the US pull out of the alliance.

Waltz is also on the Republican's China taskforce and has argued the US military is not as prepared as it needs to be if there is conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.

Waltz had been open about his willingness to serve in the administration and was considered a candidate to lead the Pentagon. The role of National Security Adviser does not require Senate confirmation.

Waltz is also a co-chair of the India Caucus in the House, which is the largest country-specific group in the US Congress.