A Green Beret and Army veteran, Waltz has toured Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa numerous times.
He drew on his experiences in the Pentagon during the George W. Bush administration and in combat in his book, Warrior Diplomat: Green Beret Battles from Washington to Afghanistan.
Waltz’s military experience led to key national security committee appointments when he was elected to Congress in 2018, serving on the Armed Services, Foreign Affairs and Intelligence committees.
The Florida congressman’s comments on the floor of Congress closely align with Republican policy views on national security and foreign policy since Trump’s election in 2016, but they also recognize the U.S.’s key role in global affairs.
Waltz suggested that NATO allies increase their defense spending, but he did not go as far as Trump to say that the US should leave the alliance entirely.
“Look, we can be allies and friends and have tough conversations,” Waltz said last month.
He said the US should continue its support for Ukraine, but in recent weeks he advocated a reassessment of US aid to the country.
Waltz also took a tough line on China while in Congress and — as chairman of the Armed Forces Readiness Subcommittee — argued that the U.S. should do more to prepare for conflict in the Pacific.
After the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, Waltz frequently criticized President Joe Biden and the White House for their decision to leave the country.
Waltz would become the second member of Congress to be tapped for office in the next Trump administration, which would require him to resign from his seat in the House of Representatives and a potentially slim Republican control majority.
He would be the fifth national security adviser under Trump, who appointed four people to the post during his first term. He fired three.
Michael Flynn, a retired general and Trump supporter, lasted just 24 days before being fired.
Trump then appointed and later fired H. R. McMaster, another retired general who later criticized the president-elect and his allies in a memoir published earlier this year.
John Bolton, who served in the post for 17 months and was Trump’s longest-serving national security adviser before he was also fired, has become highly critical of his former boss and opposed the president-elect’s efforts to return to the White House.
Robert O’Brien, a lawyer who worked in the Bush administration, completed Trump’s first term as national security adviser.
