The US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen the representative of Florida at the age of 50, Mike Waltz, to be his National Security Advisor. Known for holding a very strong and assertive stance on national security, hawkishness can be expected from Waltz as he is trying to bring forward an approach for strengthening America’s defense and security policies.
Waltz is somewhat of an anomaly in terms of his background. A former Green Beret, he has been a consistent proponent of aggressive defense policies, especially towards India, in the context of its relationship with the US and its strategy against China. He is widely knowledgeable about issues related to foreign policy and has long advocated for a stronger US-India partnership, including defense cooperation and security.
Among his prior achievements, he stands out as the co-chair for the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Here he was part of the successful effort to bring about the much-awaited invitation for Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an address to a landmark speech at Capitol Hill, when he visited the US in 2023, which would go down in history for being an important moment in US-India relations.
The India Caucus is a bipartisan group of 40 Senators in the US Senate founded in 2004 by Senator Hillary Clinton from New York and Senator John Cornyn. It has now become the biggest such group in the Senate, a natural result of India’s growing importance in US foreign policy.
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Waltz was also critical of the manner in which the Biden administration handled Afghanistan. Given his open views on defense, his probable appointment as National Security Adviser may potentially suggest a stronger US position on China. This move may further force the US to strengthen its alliance with India, which, according to Waltz, is essential for maintaining regional stability and enjoying mutual economic and security opportunities together.
In my opinion, Waltz’s appointment is likely to take the US a notch closer to an aggressive global security posture, especially in this regard with China. Having said that, I believe his experience and clear direction on the US-India alliance set the potential for stronger cooperation from both sides going ahead. However, I believe there may be challenges ahead in calibrating these assertive policies to the expectations of the international community toward seeing diplomacy and cooperation. In the end, it could be a good opportunity to align more firmly the strategic relations of the United States with its Asian partners in the coming years ahead when tensions with China can only intensify.
In conclusion, While there is much risk in this hawkish stance, Waltz’s appointment is consistent with overall national security policies pursued by President Trump and therefore may have a considerable impact on US foreign policy, at least as pertains to India and China. Time will tell how his strategy plays out; however, one thing is clear there is probably going to be a much firmer US stance on global security under his watch.
Minutes by M31GlobalNews
