President-elect , Donald Trump , picked , Florida , congressman , Mike Waltz , as his national security adviser, a person familiar with the matter said, elevating the former Army Green Beret and overcome former to become one his closest advisers.
Waltz, who served multiple tours in , Afghanistan, will maintain a crucial position of power, coordinating international policy from within the West Wing and presentation the president on international problems. Given that Trump cycled through four national security experts during his first name, it might also be a risky job.
The person with the appointment’s familiarity requested anonymity when discussing the interview. Waltz’s congressional office did n’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The walk was initially reported on Monday by The Wall Street Journal.
Waltz is the next current House member — alongside , Elise Stefanik, who Trump did select as , U. S.  , adviser to the , United Nations , — selected by the president-elect so far for his new management, threatening to cut into what will likely be a slim , GOP , lot in the lower room. Trump also selected past congressman , Lee Zeldin , as his , Environmental Protection Agency , executive, part of a force of hardliners named in the transition’s earlier days.
Waltz does have a lot of influence over Trump thanks to the position. The national security adviser position has grown in size and clout thanks to subsequent administrations, giving the business a larger, much more powerful staff. The national security adviser then typically overshadows the secretary of state, who is supposed to be in charge of putting the government’s foreign policy into practice because it has become so important.
He may face difficulties right away. Trump has promised to end the battle in , Ukraine , and has pressed , Israel , to cover up its campaign against , Hamas , and , Hezbollah.
The fresh management will also need to fight an exceedingly assertive , China.
” The next leader should act immediately to take the conflicts in , Ukraine , and the , Middle East , to a swift realization, and eventually concentrate proper attention where it should be: countering the greater threat from the , Chinese Communist Party”, Waltz said in an article he co-wrote in a subsequent issue of the Economist.
On , Capitol Hill, Waltz distinguished himself among , Republicans , with aggressive questioning of Biden administration witnesses over the botched withdrawal from , Afghanistan. He criticized the Pentagon for everything, from the teaching of Critical Race Theory at military installations to the Army’s overpriced bag of metal bushings. He chaired the House Armed Services Committee’s readiness panel.
Waltz has also criticized what he’s said was the Biden administration’s “focus on climate change as a national security priority”.
In Trump’s first term, the position’s national security adviser position had the highest rate of turnover. The first person to hold the role was  , Michael Flynn, who was pushed out after less than a month for giving Trump and Vice President , Mike Pence , what he said was “incomplete information” about his interactions with Russia’s ambassador.
Two others were HR McMaster, who said Russian President , Vladimir Putin , manipulated Trump, and , John Bolton, who later wrote a memoir and said Trump was unfit for office. Trump’s final first-term national security adviser, Robert O’Brien, has been mentioned as a possible secretary of state in Trump’s second term.
Waltz’s military career is unique in that he deployed to , Afghanistan , on several combat tours as a Reservist Army Special Forces soldier even as he was an , Afghanistan , policy adviser at the Pentagon under then-Defense Secretary , Donald Rumsfeld. Waltz received four Bronze Stars for his actions.
He’s also been a notable cheerleader of both Trump and billionaire , Elon Musk, who donated millions to aid the president-elect’s campaign and has emerged as an influential adviser during the transition process.
Waltz praised Musk by claiming that few businesspeople “have had the extraordinary record of endeavor and achievement of , Elon Musk.”
Waltz was elected to represent Florida ‘s , 6th Congressional District, which includes , Daytona Beach, in 2018. Waltz founded Metis Solutions, a defense and intelligence consultancy, while leaving the military.
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