Mike Waltz: the Green Beret who will guide US national security

Donald Trump has chosen Florida Congressman and former Fox News Commentator Mike Waltz to be his new National Security Advisor. He is a pick that may serve Trump well over the next four years. 

Waltz was not a part of Trump’s campaign operations according to Politico, but the Florida Congressman has been a key supporter of the president-elect and he’s also got a lot of experience to fall back on. 

A former Fox News commentator and veteran, Waltz is probably best known for a very adversarial stance towards China and other American rivals. However, Waltz first rose to prominence over his military record. 

According to Wikipedia, Mike Waltz graduated with Honors as a Distinguished Military Graduate from the Virginia Military Institute and went on to spend 27 years in the United States Army. 

Photo Credit: X @michaelgwaltz

Throughout his long career, Waltz was commissioned as a lieutenant and graduated from Army Ranger School. He was eventually selected to become a member of a key special forces group within the US Army. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo, U.S. Air Force, Public Domain

Waltz wasn’t a normal soldier, he was part of the United States Special Forces Group known as the Green Berets. Green Berets are some of the most powerful tools in the U.S. Army’s arsenal of commandos. 

Photo Credit: X @michaelgwaltz

Green Berets are some of the best of the best and are experts in guerilla warfare and the use of unconventional tactics according to the U.S. Army. These specialists work in small teams and use the most advanced gear. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By SFC Jeremy D. Crisp (U.S. Army), Public Domain

The U.S. Army employs Green Berets in a variety of mission types, which include the sabotage of enemy supplies and communications, as well as special reconnaissance, direct action, and counterinsurgency missions. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder, Public Domain

What types of missions Mike Waltz would have participated in while serving the United States as a Green Beret is unknown, but we do know that he has served in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa and earned a Bronze Star for his service according to his congressional website. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Cpl. William Chockey, U.S. Army Special Operation Soldiers with 3rd Special Forces Group, Public Domain

Waltz went on to serve as a defense policy director in the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates, he was at one point also an advisor on counterterrorism for Vice President Dick Cheney according to the New York Times. 

How Waltz will affect the second Trump Administration’s defense thinking has yet to be seen, but as Politico pointed out in a recent article on Waltz’s appointment, the national security advisor “is traditionally one of the president’s closest advisers and confidantes.”

Photo Credit: Facebook @MichaelWaltzForCongress

“As a longtime China hawk, the 50-year-old retired Army Green Beret and National Guard colonel will also lead the charge for formulating plans for confronting China’s massive military buildup,” Politico reported. 

Waltz will also take over “the ongoing war in Ukraine, dozens of nervous allies in Europe to deal with, Trump’s promised plan to end the war on his first day back in the office, and an ally in Israel fighting a war on several fronts including directly,” Politico noted. 

Iran will be a top issue that Waltz will need to sort out for Trump as well, however, it is yet to be seen how Waltz or Trump will face down the growing threat Iran poses in the Middle East.

The New York Times noted that Waltz opposed the withdrawal of large numbers of troops from Afghanistan under the previous Trump Administration without imposing tough conditions on the Taliban. 

NBC News reported Waltz has criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine like many others in the Republican Party and said during a November 4th interview with NPR that Washington had leveraged it could use to bring about a diplomatic end to the conflict. 

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