Mike Waltz takes on National Security role in Donald Trump White House

President-elect Donald Trump has asked U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a retired Army National Guard officer and war veteran, to be his national security adviser, as Trump confirmed Tuesday.

“I am honored to announce that Congressman Mike Waltz (R-FL) is hereby appointed to serve in my Cabinet as my National Security Advisor. Mike is the first Green Beret to have been elected to Congress, and previously served in the White House and Pentagon. Mike served in the Army Special Forces for 27 years where he was deployed multiple times in combat for which he was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with Valor,” Trump said.

“Mike retired as a Colonel, and is a nationally recognized leader in National Security, a bestselling author, and an expert on the threats posed by China, Russia, Iran, and global terrorism. He serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Mike is a distinguished graduate with honors of the Virginia Military Institute. Mike has been a strong champion of my America First Foreign Policy agenda, and will be a tremendous champion of our pursuit of Peace through Strength!”

Waltz issued a statement as well, saying he is “deeply honored” by the selection.

“There is no higher calling than defending our nation’s values, freedoms, and the safety of every American. Together with President Trump and his team, we will confront the evolving challenges of today’s world and hold firm against those who would harm our way of life. Our nation deserves nothing less than bold, unwavering leadership, and that’s what he will deliver. America will keep its allies close, we will not be afraid to confront our adversaries, and we will invest in the technologies that keep our country strong,” Waltz said.

“America’s greatest strength is its booming economy and our energy dominance, and those tools will keep us out of wars and allow us to once again lead from a position of strength. I fully believe that America’s best days are still ahead, and that with President Trump’s America First Agenda, we will secure our freedoms and forge a future where our nation remains the land of the free, and the land looked to for leadership and courage by the world.

The appointment will put Waltz at the forefront of a litany of national security crises — ranging from the ongoing effort to provide weapons to Ukraine and escalating worries about the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea to the persistent attacks in the Middle East by Iran proxies and the push for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas and Hezbollah.

Waltz, a three-term GOP congressman from east-central Florida, was the first Green Beret elected to the U.S. House, and easily won reelection last week. He has been chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee on readiness and a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

A graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Waltz was a Green Beret. He served in the active-duty Army for four years before moving to the Florida Guard. While in the Guard he did multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa and was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with valor.

He also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.

Waltz’s selection was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Waltz is an ardent Trump advocate who backed efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He is considered hawkish on China, and called for a U.S. boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing due to its involvement in the origin of COVID-19 and its ongoing mistreatment of the minority Muslim Uighur population.

He has been a sharp critic of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and has called on the U.S. to hold accountable those who bear responsibility for the deaths of the 13 U.S. service members at Abbey Gate and for “thousands of Americans and allies behind enemy lines.”

He has also repeated Trump’s frequent complaints about a so-called “woke” military that the former president has derided as soft and too focused on diversity and equity programs.

In a statement last year, Waltz said that as head of the readiness subcommittee: “I am ready to get to work to better equip our military and turn our focus away from woke priorities and back to winning wars. Our national security depends on it.”

A graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Waltz was a Green Beret. He served in the active-duty Army for four years before moving to the Florida Guard. While in the Guard he did multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa and was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two with valor.

He also worked in the Pentagon as a policy adviser when Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates were defense chiefs.

“President-Elect Trump will begin making decisions on who will serve in his second Administration soon,” said Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump transition. “Those decisions will be announced when they are made.”

Richard Goldberg, who served at the National Security Council during Trump’s first term, called Waltz an impressive pick whose background as an elite U.S. service member and experience on Capitol Hill will be of great value to Trump.

“With fires raging across the world right now, Waltz is well positioned to help the President put out those fires,” said Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington.

Waltz’s appointment will also create a vacancy representing Florida’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House, which will prompt a Special Election.

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