US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Florida Representative Mike Waltz, head of the India Caucus, as his National Security Advisor. Waltz, 50, is a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran known for his strong stance on national security, aligning with Trump’s vision of bolstering American security.
Waltz, a Republican representative from east-central Florida and the first Green Beret elected to the US House, was re-elected last week. He has served as chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and is a member of both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, according to The Associated Press.
A staunch advocate for robust defence policies, Waltz emphasises close ties with India and a strong stance against China. As co-chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans, he played a prominent role in organising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address to Capitol Hill during his 2023 visit.
Waltz is widely regarded for his firm stance on China, having previously called for a US boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to concerns over China’s role in the origins of Covid-19 and alleged human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims. He has also been a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan.
His appointment could signal a more assertive US approach to China and further strengthen the partnership with India—an alliance Waltz has long championed as vital for regional stability, security cooperation and economic benefit. He is expected to work closely with Indian counterparts to reinforce this alignment, which Trump sees as crucial in countering Beijing’s influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
With extensive experience as a military veteran, Waltz brings a wealth of knowledge in defence strategy. He has served multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa and holds four Bronze Stars. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and served in active duty with the US Army before joining the Florida Guard, later working as a policy adviser in the Pentagon under Defence Secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates.
The Senate India Caucus, a bipartisan group with 40 members founded by Hillary Clinton and Senator John Cornyn in 2004, is the largest of its kind in the Senate. Waltz’s appointment is expected to bolster US-India defence and security cooperation, supporting Trump’s objective of establishing strong democratic alliances in the Indo-Pacific.
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