Lyn Frans
President-elect Donald Trump is expected to appoint Republican Congressman Mike Waltz from Florida as his national security adviser.
Waltz, a loyal supporter of Trump and a former National Guard colonel, has been vocal about his concerns regarding China’s actions in the Asia-Pacific. He has emphasized the importance of preparing the United States for any potential conflicts in that region.
Last week, Mike Waltz secured re-election to his seat in the U.S. House, representing east-central Florida, including Daytona Beach. He won against Democrat James Stockton, a pastor and former president of a local NAACP branch.
Waltz is a decorated combat veteran, having served as a Green Beret, and he has experience as a policy adviser in both the White House and the Pentagon. He first entered Congress in 2018, stepping into the role previously held by Republican Ron DeSantis, who left to run for governor.
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His military background includes multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, where he earned four Bronze Stars for his service. Recently, he was appointed to a bipartisan congressional task force to investigate an attempted assassination of Donald Trump that occurred in Butler, Pennsylvania, earlier this year.
After his military career, Waltz worked in the Pentagon during the George W. Bush administration, serving as policy director for former defense secretaries Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates. He also held the role of counter-terrorism adviser under former Vice President Dick Cheney.
In 2021, following a chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan ordered by President Joe Biden, Waltz urged the president to reconsider and resume military operations in the region. The war in Afghanistan began under Bush after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Prior to his congressional run in 2018, Waltz managed a successful defense contracting firm with operations in Afghanistan.
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Waltz has consistently advocated for the protection of the Afghan people, stating that U.S. soldiers may need to return to assist them. Reports have highlighted the tragic toll of U.S. nation-building efforts, which have resulted in the deaths of over 48,000 civilians and more than 66,000 Afghan police and military personnel, along with widespread allegations of torture.
In other news related to Trump’s upcoming appointments, it is expected that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be named as his secretary of state. The New York Times reports that Rubio, who unsuccessfully challenged Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, was considered a strong candidate for vice president before JD Vance was selected. Since his presidential bid, Rubio has acted as an informal foreign policy adviser and played a role in helping Trump prepare for his first debate against Joe Biden in 2020.
Additional Source : New York Times
