Who is Mike Waltz, Trump's pick for national security advisor? Why is it good news for India

US President-elect Donald Trump announced another name for his Trump 2.0 administration- Mike Waltz. The Florida Congressman Waltz is set to be Trump’s National Security Advisor (NSA), reported The Associated Press on Monday citing sources familiar with the development.

The announcement will have a huge impact all over the world, except for India, as External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar said, “A lot of countries are nervous (after Trump’s win), but India is not one of them.”

For those who don’t know, Waltz is the head of the India caucus and has advocated for advancing US defence and security cooperation with India. During Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s address at the US Congress in June 2023, Waltz cordially invited the Indian PM.

He was instrumental in coordinating the Indian PM's Capitol Hill address during his 2023 visit.

He once called India the US's most "important partnership." Citing India's ban on TikTok, Waltz called on the US to ban the Chinese app.

The Republican Congressman is also a staunch proponent of improving security and defence ties with India to counter China. He serves on the GOP China task force and has maintained that the US is not ready for a conflict in the Indo-Pacific.

Who is Mike Waltz, Trump 2.0’s likely National Security Advisor?

Mike Waltz, 50, is a hardcore Republican who also supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result.

Waltz served in the United States Army and retired as Colonel as part of the special forces unit Green Beret. He has echoed his allegations of a “woke” military that is allegedly “soft” and remains “too focussed” on diversity and other inclusivity programmes. He is also a vocal critic of the Joe Biden administration's move to withdraw troops from Afghanistan in 2021.

The three-term GOP Rep was elected a member of the US House of Representatives for the first time in 2019 and was re-elected last week.

Waltz is also serving in the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness.

Watch |Donald Trump Eyes Bypass of Senate Confirmation Vote

In August 2023, he visited India on Independence Day and attended the event at Red Fort, Delhi. During the visit, he spoke to WION’s Assistant Editor, Foreign Affairs Sidhant Sibbal on a range of issues from India ties, Pakistan, and China to condemning the Khalistan violence.

Waltz has criticized China’s alleged economic practices, such as intellectual property theft, unfair trade practices, and exploitation of US supply chain vulnerabilities.

He also advocated for a US boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing to protest China's treatment of its Uighur Muslim minority in restive Xinjiang and its alleged role in the origin of the Covid-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)